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Mon National Day

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Mon National Day
Official nameတ္ၚဲကောန်ဂကူမန်
Observed byMon people
TypeCultural
FrequencyAnnual
Related toMon State Day
61st Mon National Day celebration in London
Mon flag used during the Hongsawadee Kingdom, AD 573-1757

Mon National Day (Mon: တ္ၚဲကောန်ဂကူမန်listenⓘ, rungmoam kaun kay kaw mon; Burmese: မွန်အမျိုးသားနေ့; Thai: วันชาติมอญ) is an annual national day that commemorates the founding of Hanthawaddy kingdom.[1] Mon National Day is celebrated by the Mon people in Myanmar and Thailand, and by overseas Mon communities.[1] The day is held on the first waning day of the lunar month of Tabodwe (Maik in Mon) in the Burmese calendar, following Māgha Pūjā.[2]

Origins

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Mon National Day was first celebrated in 1947, marking the mythic foundation of last Mon kingdom, Hanthawaddy (now centred in Bago), in CE 573.[3][4] The origins of Mon National Day parallel that of Karen New Year, as both were colonial-era celebrations that fostered the ethnic identity of these communities.[3] The former was established by the United Mon Association via resolution, in October 1947 in the village of Kamawuk in Mudon Township.[5]

In 1974, the Burma Socialist Programme Party-led government officially recognized Mon State Day on 19 March, to celebrate the establishment of Mon State.[3]

Mon National Day is currently not recognized by the Burmese national government as a national holiday. However, in 2013, the Mon State Government expressed interest in organizing celebrations for the holiday.[6] That same year, Aung San Suu Kyi, the country's de facto leader, spoke at large-scale Mon National Day celebrations held at Yangon's People's Square and Park.[7] In 2016, activists and festivity organizers petitioned the national government to observe Mon National Day as a public holiday.[8][9] Since 2017, the Mon State Government has earmarked funding for state-wide Mon National Day celebrations.[10] In 2018, Mon and Kayin State Governments jointly earmarked funding for inaugural Mon National Day celebrations in Kayin State.[11]

Celebrations

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Mon National Day is celebrated by Mon communities throughout Myanmar, primarily in Mon and Kayin States, Yangon and Taninthayi Regions.[12] Mon National Day in Thailand was first held in Bangkok in 1982.[citation needed] Countries with significant Mon populations, including in Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, also observe the occasion.[12]

Mon National Day is marked with literature competitions, photo exhibitions, traditional boxing competitions, and traditional songs and dances performed by a popular Mon drama troupes and other cultural shows.[13][14] Traditional Mon musical instruments, food and handicrafts are also sold during festivities.[13] During the festivities, many celebrants don traditional Mon outfits, consisting of red-colored longyis and white tops.[15]

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Mon National Day celebration in Yangon". The Myanmar Times. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  2. ^ "Mon National Day To Be Commemorated in Mawlamyine". Burma News International. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  3. ^ a b c South, Ashley (2013-01-11). Mon Nationalism and Civil War in Burma: The Golden Sheldrake. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-12954-4.
  4. ^ "Mon National Day: The History of The Celebration and The Mon People's Movement for Self-Determination in Myanmar in the Modern Era". Mon News. 2019-02-14. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  5. ^ "Mon National Day: The History of The Celebration and The Mon People's Movement for Self-Determination in Myanmar in the Modern Era". Burma News International. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  6. ^ monnews (2013-01-10). "State government develops interest in Mon National Day". Monnews. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  7. ^ "Mon 'proud and happy' to hold public National Day celebration". The Myanmar Times. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  8. ^ monnews (2016-01-20). "Activists promote Mon public holiday". Monnews. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  9. ^ monnews (2016-02-05). "Letter to President requests Mon National Day to be a public holiday". Monnews. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  10. ^ "Mon State Gov't provides 15 million Kyat for Mon National Day celebration". Monnews. 2017-01-20. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  11. ^ "Mon National Day celebration in Yangon". The Myanmar Times. 2018-02-02. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  12. ^ a b Min Paing (2016-02-23). "Daw Suu sends letter for 69th Mon National Day". Monnews. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  13. ^ a b "Mon State to hold grand celebration of 73rd Mon National Day". Eleven Media Group Co., Ltd. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  14. ^ "72nd Mon National Day ceremony to be held in former Hanthawaddy Kingdom's capital Bago". Burma News International. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  15. ^ "Mon National Day Festivities in Myanmar Draw Thousands". The Irrawaddy. 2015-02-05. Retrieved 2021-01-08.


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