The first day of the cultural Manau festival was celebrated today by ethnic Kachins, in Bhamo, the second largest city in Kachin State after the Burmese military junta created major disturbances to thwart the festival, said participants.
Today at 9 a.m. in Bhamo Kachin Literature and Culture (BKLC) venue, also called "Jinghpaw Lailai Laika hte Htunghking Hpung" in Kachin in Aung Ta village, two miles from Bhamo downtown, the Manau dance festival was inaugurated with a Kachin traditional prayer service led by senior Bhamo Kachin Baptist pastor Rev. Lai Maw Gam, said participants.
After the prayer the rope for inaugurating the Manau festival was jointly cut by Rev. Lai Maw Gam, N'hkum Tang, head of BKLC and Lt-Gen N'ban La Awng, Vice-chairman of Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), added participants.
Col. Khin Maung Maw, commander of Momeik-based Military Strategy of the Burmese Army attended the Manau inaugural ceremony surprisingly in plain clothes and read out a short written speech about preserving and valuing ethnic culture, participants said.
But during preparations for the Manau festival slated for November 26 to 28, heaps of sand stone and lime in the 200 sq-ft circular Manau ground to make concrete floors were dug up and removed with a bulldozer of the Bhamo military authorities on November 12. The order to remove the materials came from Col. Khin Maung Myint, head of Bhamo District Administration, said local Kachin cultural leaders.
Over 500 people, mainly Kachins in Bhamo district, and guest participants from different areas of Kachin State danced the first Sut Manau (the Sut Manau dances are for Wealth) from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Burma Standard Time, said local participants.
The second Manau dance programme was held from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. with nearly 800 people.
KIO's vice-chairman arrived in Bhamo, also called Manmaw in Kachin for the Manau festival last night with about 30 armed special Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldiers in KIA uniforms, said eyewitnesses.
Besides, several dozens of KIA military personnel from the 3rd brigade in plainclothes and without weapons also joined the Manau festival, said participants.
According to Manau festival organizers, they invited Bhamo-based Chinese and Nepalese cultural organizations to join the festival. However, they were prohibited by the junta's military security agents known as Military Affairs Security (MAS).
Tomorrow, the Kachin Christian traditional Thanksgiving ceremony and the second or the last day of Sut Manau is slated for celebration, said festival organizers.
The junta's Northern Command commander Maj-Gen Soe Win had banned construction with concrete of the Kachin cultural Manau field and Manau Poles in the Bhamo Manau venue early this year.
