What is Thingyan Sar? Probably you might never heard of this term before. It might be a strange term and concept for outsiders, even for our South East asian neighbours from Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Actually, thingyan sar is an integral part of Myanmar people.
Thingyan sar literally means words of Thingyan, which is Myanmar counter part of Thai Songkran or water festival. Thingyan is also the Myanmar new year celebration. Essentially, thingyan sar is a written prediction of what would happen in the next Myanmar year. This is usually prepared by Myanmar astrologers most of whom are of Indian Brahmin origin. As there is no official thingyan sar, and many astrologers use different methods of interpretation for the calculated results, thingyan sar from one astrologer might be different from that of another one.
Typical Myanmar thingyan sar usually starts with the premble where the writer proclaims the start of a new year. This is followed by detailed but generalized prediction for each month of the twelve Myanmar months, after which follows the general prediction of individuals born in each day of the week (eight days including Rahu which is the evening of Wednesday).
Although many people in Myanmar now consider Thingyan sar as unreliable prediction, the market for thingyan sar is a lucrative one, with many famous Myanmar astrologers writing their own prediction. Even though it is considered by many Burmese as highly unreliable generalized prediction of the future, most Myanmar people still find it quite enjoyable and entrtaining to read thingyan, which may explain why thingyan sar remains an integral part of Myanmar life.