The Karen New Year celebration was grandly held in the Myaing Gyi Ngu Special Zone of the Karen State, as well as in various towns and villages across the state, marking the Karen New Year and the harvest feast.

In the Hlaingbwe District’s Myaing Gyi Ngu Special Zone, the 30th Karen New Year celebration took place on December 30, 2024, at around 6:00 AM, with the raising of the Karen National Flag, as is tradition, followed by a speech explaining the significance of the Karen New Year.

Subsequently, a harvest feast was held to celebrate the success of the harvest, with rice symbolizing prosperity and abundance. This year’s celebration marked the transition from the Karen Year 2763 to Karen Year 2764.

A young Karen participant at the event shared, “This is a traditional celebration, and as part of our customs, we are here to enjoy the feast. I wish that in the coming years, Karen State and Myanmar will experience peace, and I pray for freedom and prosperity for all of us.”

Similarly, a grand celebration of the Karen New Year and harvest feast was also held in the Myawady Ward 5 near the Myanmar-Thailand border, on the morning of December 30.

It is also noted that the Karen people began observing their New Year from BC 739, before the advent of Christianity.

In Myanmar, the Karen New Year was officially recognized as a government holiday following the proposal by Karen Parliament members in 1938. The motion was unanimously supported by the members of the Parliament, and since then, the Karen New Year has been an official government holiday, which has been observed for 86 years now.