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The Shan New Year - Marking Shan Un



Subject: The Shan New Year - Marking Shan Unity

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Shan Herald Agency for News

8 December 1999

No: 12 - 10

The Shan New Year - Marking Shan Unity

According to the Shan Calendar, today is the First Moon of the First =
Lunar=20
Month. It marks the new year, 2094. It is celebrated all over the Shan =
State.

Actually, says Zuenkornlai, one of the foremost linguistic and =
historical=20
Shan scholars, the Shan New Year has already been in order since over =
4,000=20
years ago.

"Our ancestors, in those days, counted their years by names and not by=20
numbers. Altogether, sixty years, beginning with the Year of Garbzy are=20
needed to complete a cycle".

However, in B.C. 95, unity was achieved among ten Shan principalities, =
led=20
by the Mao prince, Khun Yi, regarded as a truly memorable event, and a=20
decision was taken to mark it by counting each year in numbers, said=20
Zuenkornlai.

This tradition was abandoned after Shans fell sway to the neighboring=20
powers of Burma and China in the 16th century, the former in 1555 and =
the=20
latter in 1593. Those years marked the beginning of the adoption of =
Burmese=20
and Chinese systems of calendar instead.

The revival started soon after the coup det'at of General Ne Win in =
1962,=20
when he overthrew democracy in Burma. "For unity's sake", as the regime =
put=20
it, all political organizations apart from the Burma Socialist Program=20
Party, set up by the military, were dissolved. Instead, only literature =
and=20
culture groups were allowed to form.

In 1966, the Mao Valley Literature and Culture Group, reactivated the=20
celebration of the Shan New Year. The next year, it spread to Lashio, =
the=20
capital of northern Shan State, and three years afterwards, it fanned =
out=20
to the south and the east. By the mid-seventies, the tradition was =
firmly=20
re-instituted.

In Thailand, the Shan New Year has been celebrated since 1986. It was=20
initiated by three Thais of Shan ancestry - Thoon, Sang and Chaichuen=20
Khamdaeng Yordtai.

This year it shall be observed simultaneously in Ban Hintaek (Mae =
Faluang=20
District, Chiangrai), Pangkhwai (Fang District, Chiangmai), Watpapao =
(Muang=20
District, Chiangmai), Fawiang-inn (Wianghaeng District, Chiangmai),=20
Mae-Lana (Pangmapha District, Maehongson) and Bangkok.

N.B. The Shan New Year is exactly two months ahead of the Chinese New =
Year.

///END\\\
For further information, please contact S.H.A.N. at:
Shan Herald Agency for News.
P.O. Box. 15, Nonghoi P.O., 50007, Chiangmai, Thailand
Ph/Fax: (053) 807 121
e-mail: <shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

S.H.A.N. is a non-profit making, independent Shan media group. It is not =

affiliated to any political or armed organization.





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<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
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<STYLE></STYLE>
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<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV align=3Djustify><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial =
size=3D4><STRONG>Shan Herald=20
Agency for News</STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV align=3Djustify><FONT face=3DArial size=3D3>8 December =
1999<BR><BR>No: 12 -=20
10<BR><BR><STRONG><FONT color=3D#800000 size=3D4>The Shan New Year - =
Marking Shan=20
Unity<BR><BR></FONT></STRONG>According to the Shan Calendar, today is =
the First=20
Moon of the First Lunar <BR>Month. It marks the new year, 2094. It is =
celebrated=20
all over the Shan State.<BR><BR>Actually, says Zuenkornlai, one of the =
foremost=20
linguistic and historical <BR>Shan scholars, the Shan New Year has =
already been=20
in order since over 4,000 <BR>years ago.<BR><BR>"Our ancestors, in those =
days,=20
counted their years by names and not by <BR>numbers. Altogether, sixty =
years,=20
beginning with the Year of Garbzy are <BR>needed to complete a=20
cycle".<BR><BR>However, in B.C. 95, unity was achieved among ten Shan=20
principalities, led <BR>by the Mao prince, Khun Yi, regarded as a truly=20
memorable event, and a <BR>decision was taken to mark it by counting =
each year=20
in numbers, said <BR>Zuenkornlai.<BR><BR>This tradition was abandoned =
after=20
Shans fell sway to the neighboring <BR>powers of Burma and China in the =
16th=20
century, the former in 1555 and the <BR>latter in 1593. Those years =
marked the=20
beginning of the adoption of Burmese <BR>and Chinese systems of calendar =

instead.<BR><BR>The revival started soon after the coup det'at of =
General Ne Win=20
in 1962, <BR>when he overthrew democracy in Burma. "For unity's sake", =
as the=20
regime put <BR>it, all political organizations apart from the Burma =
Socialist=20
Program <BR>Party, set up by the military, were dissolved. Instead, only =

literature and <BR>culture groups were allowed to form.<BR><BR>In 1966, =
the Mao=20
Valley Literature and Culture Group, reactivated the <BR>celebration of =
the Shan=20
New Year. The next year, it spread to Lashio, the <BR>capital of =
northern Shan=20
State, and three years afterwards, it fanned out <BR>to the south and =
the east.=20
By the mid-seventies, the tradition was firmly =
<BR>re-instituted.<BR><BR>In=20
Thailand, the Shan New Year has been celebrated since 1986. It was =
<BR>initiated=20
by three Thais of Shan ancestry - Thoon, Sang and Chaichuen =
<BR>Khamdaeng=20
Yordtai.<BR><BR>This year it shall be observed simultaneously in Ban =
Hintaek=20
(Mae Faluang <BR>District, Chiangrai), Pangkhwai (Fang District, =
Chiangmai),=20
Watpapao (Muang <BR>District, Chiangmai), Fawiang-inn (Wianghaeng =
District,=20
Chiangmai), <BR>Mae-Lana (Pangmapha District, Maehongson) and=20
Bangkok.<BR><BR>N.B. The Shan New Year is exactly two months ahead of =
the=20
Chinese New Year.<BR><BR>///END\\\<BR>For further information, please =
contact=20
S.H.A.N. at:<BR>Shan Herald Agency for News.<BR>P.O. Box. 15, Nonghoi =
P.O.,=20
50007, Chiangmai, Thailand<BR>Ph/Fax: (053) 807 121<BR>e-mail: &lt;<A=20
href=3D"mailto:shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx";>shan@xxxxxxxxxxxx</A>&gt;<BR><BR>S.H.A.=
N. is a=20
non-profit making, independent Shan media group. It is not =
<BR>affiliated to any=20
political or armed =
organization.<BR><BR><BR><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>

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