Maue-Sung Pee Maue Tai

Happy Tai New Year 2095

1. Welcoming the New Year

Welcoming the New Year is one of the oldest and gayest customs celebrated the world over. In the concept of the world, the definition of “The New Year” means that the time of the previous year has passed by and the Happy New Year has begun. The New Year Festival is celebrated in various countries according to the customs and traditions of the people there. “Pee Maue Tai” is the traditional New Year of the Tai (Shan) people. For this year, this event falls on 27 November 2000, which corresponds to the first day of the first lunar month (the first waxing moon of the Loen Tseng). All the Tai will celebrate the festival with special greetings and best wishes for the Tai New Year 2095 (Tai Era) with full happiness.

“Maue-sung” means to be progressive, be advanced (as in status, well-being) and is used as a greeting phrase. “Pee” means year, “maue” means new, and “Tai” for Tai people in the world. All the Tai welcome all nationalities to visit “Tai New Year Festival” in every Tai villages, Tai towns, Tai cities, and Tai countries.

In most countries, depending on the different national traditions, people celebrate the New Year on different days and in different manners. Some celebrate in April, some in January, etc. During New Year’s Day, some throw water on each other, some pray for best wishes, some dance together, some perform a ceremony of pouring water on respected persons or the objects of worship, some enjoy a playful festival, some shoot off guns and fireworks at dawn or midnight.

For some the New Year involves scaring away evil spirits, thus giving the new year a fresh start. It marks the beginning of the year. New Year’s Day is thought of as a good time to make New Year’s resolutions – the resolve to do better in the year just beginning than you did in the year just ended. Although they differ as to the time from which they reckon the commencement of the year, Egyptians, the Jews, the Romans, the Islams, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Tai and others all regard it as a day of special solemnity.

Because of advances in this age of globalization, greetings and best wishes for a Happy New Year can easily be sent by E-mail to friends and relatives all over the world. From web sites, researchers can gain more knowledge about the New Year’s Day. For remembrance of the happy Tai New Year, please give a bundle of “mok tseng” (cherry) flower to your sweet heart.

2. The Concept of Year

In all higher cultures, the concept of year is found three kinds of systems: solar year, lunar year, and a combination of two.  Thousand of years ago, the New Year of the Egyptians was based on the date that the Nile river flooded during the month of June. The ancient Persians celebrated their New Year’s Day on the 1 September. The Jews and Babylonians began with the spring equinox. Until the 5th century B.C., the Greeks began it at the winter solstice. Before the time of Julius Caesar, the Roman New Year stated on 1 March. During the Middle Ages, most European countries began the New Year on 25 March. According to the Julian Calendar, the Romans celebrated New Year’s Day on 1 January. In most Christian countries the New Year begins on 1 January. This custom started during the 16th century when the calendar now is general use was introduced.  January, the first month of the year was named after Janus, the Roman god of gates or doors. Because every door faces two ways, Janus is commonly shown with two heads, one facing backward and the other forward.

Other countries and religions observe New Year’s Day on different dates, according to the calendar they use. The Chinese celebrate two New Year’s Days. One is on 1 January. The other is a much more festive celebration. It takes place on the New Year’s Day reckoned according to the Chinese lunar calendar, which is based on the movement of the moon. This second celebration may occur any time between 21 January and 19 February. Indonesia also has two New Year celebrations – the official one on 1 January and another on the Islamic New Year, the date of which varies from year to year. In Vietnam the New Year usually begin in February. The Koreans celebrate their New Year the first 3 days in January. The Russian Orthodox Church observes the New Year according to the Julian calendar, which places the day on 14 January. Iran celebrates New Year’s Day on 21 March. Each of the religious groups in India has its own date for the beginning of the year.  One Hindu New Year, Baisakhi, comes sometime in April or May. The people in Morocco observe the beginning of the year on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic year.

Celebrating the first day of a new year is an age-old custom. The Tai peoples have observed the first day of the bright fortnight of loen-tseng during the blossom period of the pink mok-tseng (oriental cherry) flowers.

The month that mok-tseng flowers blossom is called loen-tseng. Mok-tseng flowers are the symbol of Tai New Year’s Day. To mark the Tai Era (Lak-pee Tai), the Tai peoples selected the month of bloomy mok-tseng flowers for the beginning of the cycle of the year, called Lak-tseng.

The new Year Festival that is celebrate in Loen-tseng is also called "Poy Kaw-tseng." Most of the Tai family live in cold countries and mok-tseng flowers like the cold season also. The Tai celebrate Tai New Year during the florescent blooming of the lovely pink mok-tseng, especially on the first day of Loen-tseng.

To be continued...
K. Yodtai Family and Sai Saeng Han