In Pictures

In pictures: Myanmar rains in the New Year

Myanmar’s annual water festival causes a splash in its street as revellers celebrate the new year.

Festival goers celebrate Thingyan. The celebrations usually occur over a period of four to five days, culminating in the New Year.

17 Apr 2013

During April, much of Southeast Asia welcomes the New Year with the annual water festival. Myanmar, with its countrywide Thingyan Festival, is one of them.

During the festival, celebrators take to the stree to pour water on each other any way they can. Burmese people believe that being doused in water will wash away any bad luck from recent years and generate new luck for the upcoming year.

This year, the festival spanned over four days – April 13-16 – ending on first day of the New Year.

Revellers play with foam. Water-throwing or dousing one another with anything containing water is the festival(***)s most pervasive feature.

A man directs a water cannon to drench a passer-by. The festival is the most important holiday in Myanmar.

A young boy collects bottles in a water drain canal, ostensibly to throw water on others.

Revellers enjoy the water festival at city hall(***)s Thingyan stage, where performances and water-throwing will entertain guests throughout the day.

Workers maintain water pumps during the festival.

A truck full of revellers comes under fire from a water cannon.

A man pours water into buckets to be thrown on participants in a celebration in Rakhine state.

Revellers dance under water sprays and cannons.