Among today’s Thanksgiving ceremonies, the ceremonies in Laiza, Tang Hpre and Bhamo were the biggest and each ceremony had over a thousand people joining in, said participants.
Laiza is the headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) near the Sino-Burma border and hundreds of men and women of the KIO and its armed-wing the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) also joined the ceremony at AD 2000 Memorial Kachin Baptist Church in the KIO/A's capital, said church's pastor Rev. Sumlut Gun Seng.
Rev. Gun Seng added, over 1000 hand-woven bamboo baskets with rice and a variety of farm-products were brought into the church for offering to God by followers during the special Thanksgiving prayer service from noon to 2 p.m. local time.
After the prayer service, all worshipers ate the special Thanksgiving food together with the season’s first harvested rice after which the ceremony was graciously concluded, said participants.
In Tang Hpre, a small Kachin village 27 miles north of Kachin State's capital Myitkyina, the Thanksgiving ceremony was a large-scale affair with newly harvested rice, and fruits and a variety of vegetables from farms. However, the villagers have been often threatened to relocate for the dam project on the Irrawaddy River or Mali Hka in Kachin, near the village by Burma's ruling junta, said local people.
Tang Hpre's Thanksgiving was held at the village's Kachin Baptist Church between 7 a.m. and noon. Some officials of the nearby village-based Asia World Company, who are jointly implementing the dam project with the Chinese government-owned China Power Investment Corporation (CPI), also joined the ceremony, said church sources.
The special honourary service by the village Baptist church on the golden jubilee of woman preacher N'Mut Htu Nan, (76), wife of deceased Mashaw Gam was also made at today’s Thanksgiving ceremony of Tang Hpre, church preacher La Tawng told KNG today evening.
Over 1000 participants in the ceremony were served with newly harvested rice and vegetables in Kachin-style, where all food was wrapped in leaves, and the soup and drinking water were served in bamboos, added the preacher La Tawng.
The Thanksgiving ceremony in Bhamo, or Manmaw in Kachin, the second largest city in Kachin State this afternoon was held after the Kachin cultural Manau dance programmes called "Sut Manau (Manau dance for wealth) were done twice --- in the morning and afternoon, said participants.
Among the several hundred participants in the Thanksgiving ceremony, were KIO vice-chairman Lt-Gen N'ban La Awng and Col. Khin Maung Maw, commander of Momeik-based Military Strategy under the Northern Regional Command of the ruling junta.
Kachin people in Bhamo district could observe their "second Manau festival and Thanksgiving" on November 26 to 28. However, they are still upset that the Burmese junta officials dug up the Manau ground with a power-shovel on November 12 and banned construction of the Manau ground and cultural house with concrete, according to Bhamo Kachin cultural leaders.
CLICK here for more Kachin Thanksging photos of Tang Hpre Village
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