The name "Thingyan" (Burmese: သင်္ကြန်, pronounced [θɪ́ɰ̃dʑàɰ̃]; Arakanese: [θɔ́ɰ̃kràɰ̃]) is derived from the Sanskrit word saṁkrānti (သံကြာန္တိ), which means the "transit [of the Sun from Pisces to Aries].".

A prophecy for the new year (သင်္ကြန်စာ, Thingyan sa) will have been announced by the brahmins (ponna) and this is based on what animal Thagyamin will be riding on his way down and what he might carry in his hand.

Alms and offerings are laid before monks in their monasteries and offerings of a green coconut with its stalk intact encircled by bunches of green bananas (ငှက်ပျောပွဲ အုန်းပွဲ, nga pyaw pwè oun pwè) and Eugenia sprig before the Buddha images over which scented water is poured in a ceremonial washing from the head down.

In neighbourhoods, pavilions with festive names constructed from bamboo, wood and beautifully decorated papier mâché, are assembled overnight.

Local girls rehearse for weeks and even years, in the run-up to the great event in song and dance in chorus lines.

They wear fragrant thanaka - a paste of the ground bark of Murraya paniculata which acts as both sunblock and astringent - on their faces, and sweet-scented yellow padauk (Pterocarpus macrocarpus) blossoms in their hair.

Large crowds of revellers, on foot, on bicycles and motorbikes, and in trucks, will do the rounds of all the mandat, some making their own music and most of the women wearing thanaka and padauk.

Traditionally, Thingyan involved the sprinkling of scented water in a silver bowl using sprigs of thabyay (Jambul), a practice that continues to be prevalent in rural areas.

Some overenthusiastic young lads may get captured by women, who often are their main target, and become kids of a practical joke with soot from cooking pots smeared on their faces.

Pwè (performances) by puppeteers, orchestras, yein dance troupes, comedians, film stars and singers including modern pop groups are commonplace during this festival.

At this time Burmese visit elders and pay obeisance by gadaw (also called shihko) with a traditional offering of water in a terracotta pot and shampoo.

During Thingyan, locals throughout the country organise almsgiving events called satuditha, which take the form of communal feasts, offering free food, meals, and drinks to passersby and the needy.

[9][10] These range from traditional dishes like Burmese curry and rice, mohinga, and ono khauk swe to desserts like shwe yin aye and mont let saung.

[12] Over the long festive holiday, a time-honoured tradition is mont lone yay baw (မုန့်လုံးရေပေါ်), glutinous rice balls with jaggery (palm sugar) inside thrown into boiling water in a huge wok and served as soon as they resurface which gave it the name.

Mont let saung (မုန့်လက်ဆောင်း) is another Thingyan snack, made of bits of sticky rice with toasted sesame in jaggery syrup and coconut milk.

[13][14] These dance styles originate in the Burmese folk music tradition, performed with songs featuring the beat of a double-headed drum called the dobat.

[16] The pots are filled with sprigs and flowers from 7 types of plants to represent each day of the week:[17][16] Throughout the festival, troupes perform than gyat (similar to rapping but one man leads and the rest bellows at the top of their voices making fun of and criticising whatever is wrong in the country today such as fashion, consumerism, runaway inflation, crime, drugs, AIDS, corruption, inept politicians etc.).