Thanakha Culture: Activities to promote Myanma unique culture

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture is working to submit a nomination of Myanma Thanakha to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO by the end of March.

As part of the efforts, activities to mark the Myanma Thanakha Day, which falls on the Full Moon Day of Tabodwe, the 12th of February, have been organized at the museums and libraries under the ministry. Starting from February 7th, these activities is scheduled to be held throughout February.

On the 13th, the activities at the Nay Pyi Taw National Museum featured the cultural aspects of Thanakha along with the history of Thanakha tradition, its usefulness, and essential role of Thanakha in daily life of Myanmar people. Students from the basic education schools across Nay Pyi Taw Council joined the activities and joyously took part in the campaign, which highlights the unique culture of Myanmar.

Thanakha was initially proposed for inclusion on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list in March 2020, but the application was rejected for being incomplete.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture is working to submit a new nomination with more comprehensive and detailed data. If recognition is achieved, Thanakha will become Myanmar’s second intangible cultural heritage to be recognized by UNESCO, after its traditional water festival of Thingyan was added last December.