Generally no Vaccination certificate is required to enter Myanmar. But visitors from an infected area are required to have a vaccination card.

The Central Post Office of Yangon and other post offices all over the country operate between 9:30 am to 4:30am on week days. Post boxes are kept in front of post offices and at airports, railway stations, hotels, bus stands, big hotels, tourist sites and corners of streets. Some courier services and moving services are available. Some of them in Yangon are: DPE International, Express Courier Services, DHL Overseas Courier Services, Myanmar International Moving Services Co. Ltd., and more. Myanmar time is 6:30 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time with difference of half hour with Thailand, one and half hour with Singapore and one hour with India.

Myanmar festivals are related and based on Culture and religion. Major festivals are celebrated through out the country and some are distinctly regional. All festivals and special events are celebrated on their fixed dates in every month of the year.

January




 

4th January, Independence Day, (Gazetteer Holiday) Myanmar regained its independence as a sovereign state.
Ananda Pagoda Festival (Bagan)
Shwesettaw Pagoda Festival (Minbu, Magwe)
Mahamuni Pagoda Festival (Mandalay)
Kachin Manaw Festival (Kachin State)
Naga New Year Festival (Chin State)

February


 

12th February, Union Day (Gazette Holiday) signifies unity of all nationals of Myanmar.
Maw-Tin-Sun Pagoda Festival ((Pathein)
Pindaya Cave Pagoda Festival (Pindaya)
Salone Traditional Festival (Meik)
Indawgyi Pagoda Festival (Kachin State)

March

 

2nd March, Peasant’s Day (Gazette Holiday)
Tabaung Full moon Day (Gazette Holiday)
27th March, Armed Forces Day (Gazette Holiday), signification of Anti-colonists and Anti-fascist struggle.
Shwemawdaw Pagoda Festival (Bago)

April
 

Thin yan (water) Festival, 4-5 days in mid April, (Gazette Holidays), festival of fun and merry making by pouring water to each other and performing meritorious deeds.
Myanmar New Year Day, (Gazette Holiday) Popa Nat or Spirits Festival (Popa)

May
 

1st May, Workers Day, (Gazette Holiday)
Kason Full moon Day (Gazette Holiday), watering of the scared Bo Tree Festival.

June
 

Nayone Full moon Day (Gazette Holiday), signifies commencing of Buddhist lent.
19th July Martyr’s Day (Gazette Holiday)

August

Taung Pyone Nats or Spirits Festival (Mandalay)

September and October

Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival (Inlay)
Thadingyut Festival of Lights, (Gazetted Holidays)

November

 

Tazaungdine Festival, Full moon Day of Tazaungmone (Gazette Holiday)
National Day, (Gazette Holiday) r> Kyeikhtiyo Pagoda Festival, the Golden Rock Mon State.
Hot Air Balloon and Fireworks Festival (Taunggyi, Shan State)

December


 

9000 Lighting of Candles (Yangon)
Kayin New Year Day (Kayin State)
Christmas Day, (Gazette Holiday)
Islamic and Hindu (Deepawali), religious days are Gazetted Holidays, announced when notified.

Myanmar has a variety of traditional foods and staple food being rice and curry. Myanmar meal comprises of main dishes of rice, meat, fish and prawn curries with side dishes of fried vegetables, salad, and soup, boiled or raw vegetables eaten with fish sauce. As Myanmar is rich in natural resources, it is easy to obtain fresh fish and vegetables. Myanmar curries are a bit spicy and oily, but delicious and preferred by tourists. Other light meals are Mohinga, rice noodles with fish gravy and Ohn-no-Khauk Swe (noodles with coconut and chicken curry are served as breakfast. Seafood like crabs, prawns, lobsters and shell-fish are available at most of the restaurants. Myanmar food has variety of desserts like Sanwin Makin (Myanmar Sweet Cake), Kyauk Kyaw (Seaweed jelly), Kauk-hnyin-paung, jaggery and laphet (pickled tea leaves). Most of the restaurants serve typical Myanmar food and other Asian food including Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Singapore-style. European food is also available at big hotels in Yangon. Fast food centers and snack bars are also available in Yangon and Mandalay. Many types of vegetables and fruits are available seasonally or through out the year, they are banana, mango, orange, lemon, grape fruits, gapes, durian, jack-fruit, papaya and watermelon.

Myanmar dress is light, neat and convenient. Men wear a shirt (without collar), traditional over coat and the masculine longyi (Pa-soe), designed vertical or horizontal square or striped motives with different colors. Women wear a blouse and famine longyi (Hat-mi), which is more colorful with flora motives or a unique colors. Both sexes wear the flip-flops or sandals (Pha-nut), made up of leather and velvet. The ethnic minorities wear their own traditional costumes. Light casual; cotton dresses are more pleasant in hot season. In cool season light sweaters and jackets are useful in upper Myanmar and mountainous regions. An umbrella is a must for rainy and hot seasons. Visitors should not wear short and tank top while visiting pagodas, monasteries and temples, where all foot wears (shoes slippers and sandals) must be taken off at the entrance.

Drama, the key to modern Myanmar culture is considered as the development of theatrical or musical work; distinctly to Myanmar style is accessible and enjoyable to visitors. The word Myanmar “Pwe” means a spectacular feast (theater dance, music, marionette etc.) which take place to all opportunity of every day life. All religious or popular events are good reason to organize a “Pwe” for example a religious, wedding, sporting event or carnival. Once under way Pwe can go on all night and the audiences has fun of fall asleep and wake up again. There are various forms of Pwe such as; Zat Pwe, Anyein Pwe and Yoke-The-Pwe.

Zat Pwe is a live performance which may be re-creation of an ancient legend or Buddhist epic mingled of dance, songs, dialogues, slap sticks, music, melodrama short and long pieces. The word “Zat” derived from Pali word “Jataka” the stories of Buddha’s previous lives. Zat means dramatic entertainment in the Past. With the development of dance and music, it is transformed into a theatrical spectacle reserved to the Royal Court. The audience sat in the form of a circle around the dancers and musicians and this was called “Myey-Waing-Zat”. The most famous presentation of the traditional theater is dual dance of male and female dancers, accompanied by clowns.

Yoke-The-Pwe is a part of Myanmar theatrical art performed by strings puppet, wahich is made up of wood and mobilized with the help of strings attached to different parts of the puppet. The living dancers are replaced by the puppets and the performance became more convenient and animated. The master of marionette is called puppeteer and he or she can be a singer or musician at the same time.

Myanmar is a tropical country in continental South East Asia and regarded as a land of diverse culture, traditions and natural resources. It is endowed with one of the largest forest covers in the region. More than half of the country is still covered with forest, which are well managed under the Myanmar Selection System (MAS). The country has four important rivers flowing north to south direction of which Ayeyarrwaddy river being the main and longest waterway. Forest resources play a dominant role in improving the socio-economic life of the people and the nation. The country is the worlds’ prime supplier of natural teak (Tectonagrandis), which is one of the pillars of State’s economy. About 75% of the total populations live in rural area, depending upon forest resources. The forestry sector provides goods and services for domestic consumption and export markets. The role of forest for environmental stability and for soil and water conservation is recognized by the state. The Protected Area System (PAS) is well established with the set up of parks and sanctuaries. Myanmar has committed to sustainable development of forests and biological resources through accession to a number of international conventions and agreements. In fact forestry in Myanmar has been well in place, maintaining a balance between environment, development and social needs. The natural forests of Myanmar provide substantial opportunities for ecotourism development. There are many well known Eco-tourism sites through out the country in all states and divisions of which few are upgraded recently to promote eco-tourism, public recreation, education and research, these eco-tourism sites are:
•     Hlawga wildlife Park, near Yangon.
•     Seinyay Forest Camp on the strategic road across Bago yoma teak forest.
•     Shwe Set Taw Wildlife Sanctuary in central Myanmar.
•     Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park in upper Myanmar.
•     Moyeingyi Wet Lands near Bago.
•     Popa Mountain Park and
•     Pyin Oo Lwin Botanical Gardens.