On Shan New Year 2120, the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA), Shan State Progress Party/ Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), Mongla and many Shan towns and communities celebrated the occasion, some festival-like and others in just simple normal traditional settings, due to the ongoing nationwide armed conflict, with no possibility of ending it anytime soon.

While the RCSS and SSPP issued statements, Mongla rolled out a festive mood, with SSPP leaders being invited and attending the occasion.

RCSS headed by General Yawd Serk on the other hand, visited Larng Khur, where he made a point that all Shan State citizens should hold on to their land and fields and not fleeing their homestead, otherwise it will become other people’s land and properties.

In other words, he was asking them to uphold the ownership of their land, protect their cultural heritage and most of all to take into account in preserving the Shan State’s sovereignty.

“What can never be changed or moved is the territory of our motherland. Our Shan State has been a country ruled by Kings and Saohpas. Shan State belongs to all Shan people. Therefore, all Shan people must collectively protect our motherland, Shan State, for it to be a sustainable country in the future,” emphasized General Yawd Serk in his message on the eve of the Shan New Year Day.

General Yawd Serk said that if the Shan people do not protect Shan State, Shan State will become the property of foreigners, and if that happens, the Shan people will have to take refuge in other countries without dignity.

In addition, the Shan people have the right to self-determination and the ability to govern their own homeland and the Union as well, he added.

According to SHAN report of November 19, RCSS Chairman General Yawd Serk attended the 2120 Shan New Year and the 25th Dhamma School Graduation Ceremony being held in Na Kung Village, Wan Hat Constituency, Larng Khur Township, southern Shan State.

“The main event is the Buddhist New Year and the Shan New Year celebration. The chairman attends the event and gives awards, donates money to the monastery. He meets with the public and gives speech,” a local man from Larng Khur Township told Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN).

In addition to the RCSS/SSA, SSPP/SSA, the 7th Brigade of the Kali Township People’s Army, and the SSS People’s Army led by Maha Ja from Homong Township also attended the Shan New Year celebration held in Wan Hat Township, Larng Khur Township. In addition, the 2025 awards ceremony for those who have passed the basic education exam and those who have graduated from local and international universities, 260 teachers and 2316 students were awarded, according to Tai Freedom, a media outlet for RCSS.

In the same vein, SSPP statement on November 20, also doled out the similar message.

In its 5-paragraph statement it precisely emphasizes: “The justified and peaceful co-existence of the Shan/Tai people everywhere as a reality of Tai characteristic. The degradation of present situation is mainly due to the shortcomings of not following the traditional righteous way of doing things and should reconsider it again seriously. Because of this Tais haven’t been able to make progress in their rights of self-determination, literature and culture, socioeconomic sectors and so on properly. Thus, it is urged that all ethnic groups within Shan State to strive for freedom, rights of self-determination and genuine federal democratic union and good governance in unison.”

Most important and surprising though is the statement of Palaung State Liberation Front/Ta’ang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA) well-wishing message to the Shan/Tai people on Shan New Year occasion.

On the occasion the PSLF/TNLA headquarters sent a message welcoming the Shan New Year, and wishing that the Shan and Ta’ang people living together as brothers and sisters to restore the old harmonious friendship.

In addition, the statement said that all should put aside differences and suspicions between brothers and sisters and work together to find solutions to crises on the long journey of revolution and create a peaceful and prosperous social environment.

“On the New Year, a sacred day for the entire Shan nation, and the Shan people welcomed it by raising the Shan flag in their homes. Shan people in all parts of the country welcomed the New Year, and Shan people in areas controlled by the Ta’ang Army are also proudly raising the national flag,” according to the recent Shwe Phee Myae report.

According to SSPP Information of November 19, the Shan New Year Festival held in Mongla, the headquarters of the National Democratic Alliance Army – Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS) Special Region (4) was attended by special representatives of SSPP/SSA.

From November 16 to 20, the Shan New Year (2120) New Year Festival was held in Mongla, the headquarters of the Special Region (4) Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS) and was led by the Secretary-General (2), Sai Hsu of the Shan State Progressive Party, Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA).

The said Shan New Year Festival was organized by the government of the Eastern Shan State Army (NDAA-ESS) and featured Shan traditional cultural dances.

Similarly, in the eastern and southern townships of Shan State, the Shan New Year festival was celebrated on the first day of the first lunar month of the Shan calendar (2120) without losing its tradition. Similarly, in the northern townships of Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, Hsipaw, and Namtu, which are displaced due to military conflicts, the Shan New Year celebration could not be held on a large scale, but were held in small numbers to welcome the New Year.

The first day of the first lunar month is the end of the old year for the Shan people and the beginning of the New Year. At this time, people welcome the New Year, pay their respects to the New Year, donate traditional food, entertain guests, pay their debts, honor the elderly, award and confer titles to heroes, literature and musical artists. Besides, traditions such as giving blessings and good wishes to each others and among one another are practiced.

Analysis

The Shan New Year brings two positive developments. One is the unity between the Shan armies even if a lot still needs to be done; and the other is the overtures of the TNLA from warlike stance to peaceful co-existence offer, although it comes after the weakened political and military posture following the lost of a couple of towns in northern Shan State.

The coming together of RCSS and SSPP in Larng Khur during the Shan New Year, together with the SSS People’s Army led by Maha Ja from Homong Township, are a positive development in forging Shan unity, even though it is a small step.

In the same vein, SSPP attending Mongla’s Shan New Year celebration is also the increasing interaction among Shan armies, although a lot still needs to be done.

But above all, the TNLA overtures to the Shan/Tai people on the occasion of Shan New Year is definitely a huge positive step, even though it should have been done a lot earlier before animosity developed between each other because of failed TNLA policy against non-Palaung or non-Ta’ang multi-ethnic groups residing in Shan State.

However, its “Better late than never,” as the saying goes. Let’s hope that the TNLA leadership learns from its past lessons and try to project the notion of shared common national identity within Shan State, with democracy, equality and rights of self-determination, including the protection of minorities’ rights, like Switzerland or other federal countries around the globe.