MOGOK, Mandalay Division — Thousands of ethnic Lisu from Shan and Kachin states and Mandalay Division traveled to Mogok to celebrate the group’s 50th New Year’s gathering this week.
The Lisu, an ethnic minority primarily found in Shan and Kachin states and Mandalay Division, are gathered for three days beginning on Thursday in a celebration arranged by the Lisu Literature and Traditional Culture Committee of Mogok. Ethnic Lisu families have long celebrated the New Year from home in their respective towns and villages, but the communal meet-up in Mogok has only been taking place for the last 50 years.
“This celebration is the biggest one ever,” said Aung Naing, vice chairman of the Lisu Literature and Traditional Culture Committee.
“About 20,000 Lisu from Shan, Kachin [states] and Mandalay Division celebrated the opening ceremony. We invited Lisu from all over the country,” he said. “We believe that we [Lisu from different regions] will have more unity by celebrating this sort of ceremony here,” Aung Naing said.
Commemorating the harvest season, New Year’s festivities include the making of merit by donating to village, earth and mountain spirits.
On New Year’s Eve, the Lisu traditionally plant a tree in front of their homes, and in the spirit of this ritual a tree was planted this week to serve as the celebration grounds’ centerpiece. Around the tree, a plethora of shops, restaurants, games and other forms of entertainment have sprouted up to occupy revelers.
Dance troupes take turns performing around the tree in what amounts to a three-day dawn-to-dusk dance marathon.
“Ethnic Lisu will better understand the value of their culture, their dress, dance and performances by participating in this celebration,” Aung Naing said, explaining that four unique styles of dress worn by attendees denoted the region from which they hailed.
Though the styles differ, all traditional garb includes the unifying colors of blue, black and red.
Khin Win, an attendee, said he was pleased to participate in the New Year celebration.
“I believe that we should have this kind of celebration to unite our ethnics in future by gathering in the same place to promote our traditional culture annually,” he said.
Organizers say more than 100 million kyats (US$100,000) was spent to celebrate the 2015 New Year’s gathering in Mogok, a town known for its rich ruby deposits.
There are about 60,000 ethnic Lisu living in Mogok, Mandalay Division, and the group’s nationwide population is estimated at about 700,000.