Myanmar's traditional Thingyan Water Festival kicked off on April 12, 2008 in the former capital of Yangon.
With dozens of selected beautiful young girls in colorful dresses performing traditional dances on the stage, the Yangon Mayor's open-air water-throwing pandal was inaugurated late afternoon by Mayor Brigadier-General Aung Thein Lin.
The grand ceremony brought together a large crowd of audiences soaked in water and the water throwing activities commenced as soon as the pandal was declared open.
Apart from the Yangon Mayor's water throwing pandal, a number of private companies erected their owns to join the festival in one way as a means of advertising their products.
There are about 300 big and small water throwing pandals and entertainment stages set up on the roadside in the city.
Some famous actresses also erected their own pandals for water throwing activities, adding to the atmosphere of the festival.
Still some are to launch competitions of songs and dances starting Sunday, the second day of the festival, with prize money to be presented to the winners, organizers said.
This year's Myanmar traditional Thingyan Water festival has one more day to be spent, running for five days from Saturday to next Wednesday, according to the Myanmar lunar calendar.
