Burmese villagers of Ywama village, six miles west of Kindaunggyi, north of Taungup in the Arakan, Burma, celebrate Burmese New Year with their traditional Water Festival.

A group of Burmese civilians; one of them is dancing. A procession of young women or girls, each carrying a plate of some small food. Another line of women carrying pots on their heads, and another carrying potted plants. One pot appears to decorated with bank notes. They enter a pongyi-chaung or monastery. Local Buddhist monks and children. Men dancing. Men in boats on the Tanwle Chaung (river or watercourse); some of the occupants are paddling while others are standing up and dancing to the beat of a drum. A boat paddles swiftly across shot. More boats with men dancing. Close-up of a drum with Burmese script on the skin. Close-up of a man playing a hne or Burmese oboe. A man plays a ci wain or 'gong circle'. The monastery with monks and villagers outside. Views of the monastery's roof, a pagoda spire and the bells at the spire's tip. The top of the monastery's roof. A towering cloud formation in the distance (though probably cumulus rather than cumulonimbus). Views from a river boat. A local boat is seen followed by a passing landing craft marked 'US Army'. Oars in the water. A sunken landing craft protruding above the water. A young Burmese child seated in the end of a boat with close-up. The band playing. A young girl, evidently dressed for the occasion, with an elaborate hairstyle. Close-ups of her face. A young Burmese child with a plate of bananas; a man wearing a hat marked 'Official US [Army?] Photographer' takes one. Close-up of the child giving a view of the hairstyle and earrings.

Notes

Giving some impression of how the cameramen of the Army Film and Photographic Unit viewed their role, Sergeant Bryan-Smith's dopesheet remarks "Although this story may be of no military value, it was made more to show the people of Burma in their natural surroundings. I feel that the material herein will be valuable in depicting to the peoples of the western hemisphere, just what type of life the Eastern natives lead".

The Burmese Water Festival, also known as Thingyan, is a celebration lasting several days that culminates in the Burmese New Year. Often coinciding with Easter, the festival is subject to many regional variations but will typically last three or four days and feature religious observances, celebratory music, dance and general gaiety, water fights, particular foods and well-wishing and respect-paying visits to elder relatives. Comparable traditions exist in other Therevada Buddhist nations in south east Asia, such as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand.