Thingyan, or Myanmar New Year festivities were subdued in Taiwan this year following the deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake in Mandalay that killed over 3,600 people. The lively holiday marked with water fights instead focused on prayer and raising relief funds for those in Myanmar, where celebrations are also tightly controlled by the military junta.
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00:00Vinjen, or Myanmar New Year, is a holiday known for its lively music, dancing and water fights meant to wash away misfortune.
00:11But this year's festivities were somber in Taiwan.
00:14New Taipei's Burmese Chinese community are praying for loved ones in Myanmar after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake devastated the country,
00:22killing over 3,000 people and displacing tens of thousands more.
00:27The main event is that we want to express the interest of the country in the United States.
00:34We want to express the interest of the country in the United States.
00:39We have two weeks in the United States,
00:45It's about $20,000, and we also have to send these money to the most, and we have to thank you.
00:58Thank you so much.
01:00Volunteers wove in and out of crowds calling for donations,
01:03and passers-by tied pieces of yellow string to trees in prayer.
01:07New Taipei's Little Myanmar is only a few blocks long,
01:10but for the over 100,000 Burmese Chinese living in Taiwan,
01:14it's a special gathering place, and vendors and visitors are out in droves for the New Year's festivities.
01:20But although they're celebrating their heritage with vibrant food and dress,
01:24for many, their hearts are with their family and friends back in Myanmar.
01:32Some restaurants offered free meals to warm the community with a taste of home.
01:37Some community members who typically perform in the New Year's festivities stayed off stage, instead focusing on prayer.
01:57Do you think today's activities are very different?
02:01Yes, it's very different.
02:03My heart is also very emotional.
02:06The weather is very dangerous.
02:09Some of my friends have been hurt.
02:13It's a feeling echoed in Mandalay, the central Myanmar city near the epicenter of the tremor.
02:19In a country already torn by three years of civil war,
02:23the ruling military junta has banned music and dance during the holiday.
02:31With the full cost of March's earthquake still unknown,
02:34many people in Myanmar face a difficult year.
02:37But in all the uncertainty ahead,
02:39they can count on the continued support of friends and loved ones in Taiwan.
02:43Lee Sun Chen and Tiffany Wong in New Taipei City for Taiwan Plus.