New Year Oracle Holds Bad Omens
By ARKAR MOE
The Irrawaddy News
Bad omens for Burma are being read into the traditional Thingyansar predictions published to coincide with the Burmese New Year.Happy Water Festival to godfather Than Shwe
The predictions say that Thargyarmin, king of the celestials, won’t be paying his customary visit to the earth this year—a bad omen for Burma and its people.
Burmese Buddhists believe that Thargyarmin pays an annual visit to earth to take note of good deeds and punish those who commit sin.
This year’s Thingyansar also directs attention to people born on Tuesday, saying they would be respected for their good deeds but that hasty decisions would be misunderstood.
Burmese opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi was born on a Tuesday.
This year’s Thingyansar also predicts the end of feudalism in the world—and that is being interpreted as bad news for the regime, whose end is foreseen.
The Thingyansar is being produced this year by Burma’s Ministry of Culture, although unofficial, underground versions are also being circulated.
Official or unofficial, the Thingyansar sells like the proverbial hot cakes and plays an essential role in New Year festivities and the accompanying water festival.
