Karen New Year celebrated in Myanmar and abroad

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Karen New Year celebrated in Myanmar and abroad



YANGON: -- The Karen New Year, 2755, was marked on Sunday as jubilant crowds of ethnic Karen people celebrated across the globe, The Irrawaddy reported on Monday.

In Myanmar, the biggest celebrations took place in the former capital, Yangon, and in Hpa-an, the capital of Karen State. The day was observed with cheerful gatherings and performances by talent donning traditional Karen costumes.

A number of high-profile attendees rang in the New Year at various venues. President Thein Sein and Mutu Say Poe, President of the Karen National Union (KNU), attended celebrations in Hpa-an with other ethnic armed group leaders, while KNU Vice-Chairwoman Zipporah Sein joined celebrations in Yangon’s Ahlone Township.

Karen communities abroad, mostly migrants and refugees who have resettled in Australia, Norway and the United States, also held similar ceremonies to mark the holiday in their respective homes.

In areas of Karen State that are under the control of ethnic armed groups, military parades were held to mark the occasion. Hundreds gathered at Mu Aye Pu, a KNU base in Hpa-an District, for a military procession, while another such event was held earlier in Shwe Koko, a stronghold of the Karen Border Guard Force in the southern part of the state.

In Karen tradition, celebrants sounded horns and beat drums to mark the year 2755.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/karen-new-year-celebrated-in-myanmar-and-abroad

-- Thai PBS 2016-01-12