Myanmar prepares for water festival

YANGON, Myanmar - People in Myanmar are busy preparing for celebrating the country's traditional Thingyan Water Festival.

During the traditional event, people sprinkle water on one another to clear the moral impurities from the old year.

Among Myanmar's 12 seasonal annual celebrations, the Thingyan Water Festival represents the grandest and is believed to bring peace and prosperity.

The festival will run on April 13 to 16, with the Myanmar new year falling on April 17.

In Myanmar, some Buddhist people go to pagodas and monasteries to devote themselves to good deeds and making donations called Satuditha to people of all classes.

In recent years, influenced by western culture, Thingyan festival had been celebrated in a modern way with stage shows, electronic music and modern dancing.

This year, traditional dance performances and Thingyan music will be featured during the festival instead.

The regional authorities will deploy 8,000 security personnel during the festival in the biggest city of Yangon.

According to the authorities, there will be 22 large, 10 medium, and 27 small water throwing pandals in the commercial city.

Regional courts will be open in Yangon daily during the festival to enable the swift resolution of cases and complaints.

In Mandalay, the ancient capital of Myanmar, more than 30 water-throwing and traditional dancing performance pandals have been planned around Mandalay Palace's gates and across the city.

A traditional dance parade will also make stops at several points around the city.