Tazaungdaing Holidays

Date and Duration

• Date: It is celebrated on the Full Moon Day of Tazaungmon, the eighth month of the traditional Burmese calendar.

• Gregorian Calendar: This typically falls in November.

• Public Holiday: The day of the Full Moon and sometimes the day before or after are observed as national public holidays, extending the celebratory period.

Significance: End of the Offering Season

Tazaungdaing marks the end of the Kathina (Kahtein) season—the period following the Buddhist Lent where laypeople offer new robes and other necessities to the Sangha (monks). It is the final major opportunity for grand merit-making before the year concludes.

Key Religious Traditions

1. The Matho Thingan Weaving Competition

This is a unique and famous tradition, particularly at major pagodas like the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

• The Act: Teams of women compete in an overnight contest to weave a special saffron-colored robe called the Matho Thingan (Non-stale Robe).

• The Timing: They must weave nonstop, starting the night before the full moon and finishing before dawn on the full moon day.

• The Offering: The newly woven robes are immediately offered to the Buddha images at the pagoda.

• The Legend: This ritual is said to commemorate the Buddha’s mother, Queen Maya, who was reborn in a celestial realm and tried to weave a robe for her son to prevent him from renouncing the world, finishing it just before dawn.

2. The Final Lights (Extension of Thadingyut)

• Like Thadingyut, the entire country is illuminated with lights, candles, and lanterns, continuing the ‘Festival of Lights’ theme. Homes, monasteries, and streets glow brightly as an offering to the Buddha and to ward off evil spirits.

Unique Cultural Traditions

1. Taunggyi Hot Air Balloon Festival (The Star Attraction)

The most spectacular observance of Tazaungdaing takes place in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State.

• The Event: A massive, multi-day competition features the launch of enormous, intricately crafted hot air balloons.

• Daytime Balloons: Often shaped like animals (e.g., elephants, ducks).

• Nighttime Balloons: These are the most dramatic, decorated with countless candles and often carrying massive displays of fireworks and firecrackers that explode high in the night sky.

• Significance: The balloons are released as offerings to the celestial beings or to the Sulamani Cetiya (a pagoda relic in Tāvatiṃsa Heaven), symbolizing the floating away of sins and bad deeds.

2. Mezali Phu Thoke (Siamese Cassia Bud Salad)

• On the night of the full moon, Burmese families traditionally pick and prepare the Mezali Phu Thoke (Siamese cassia bud salad). This salad or soup is consumed as a healthy tradition, believed to have medicinal properties that promote wellness during the change of seasons.

3. “Don’t Wake the Crows” Mischief (Kyee Ma No Pwe)

• The day after the full moon is unofficially dedicated to good-natured mischief, especially among young people, known as the “Don’t Wake the Crows” festival. Traditional pranks, such as hanging humorous signs or playing light tricks on neighbors, are common, adding a playful, secular element to the holiday.

Tazaungdaing is the last major festival of the calendar year, filled with bright lights, merit-making, unique rituals, and high-spirited communal activity.