Happy New Year to All!

Burmese New Year and Thingyan came and ended rather quickly here at the center. We sold Chicken Satay at a Thingyan festival in Daly City. There are still Thingyan festivals going on in the Bay Area, and in other parts of the United States, as well. The month of April is full of food, fun, music and gatherings as Overseas Burmese celebrate one of the most important festivals in our culture, and try to keep our heritage in foreign lands.

We have updated our website recently, and will continue to do so as the center is being shaped and formed. We also recruited a treasurer on our Board of Directors. Do visit the center’s home pages for more information. There are also plans to create an event calendar to track cultural and art events in the Bay Area, and whenever possible, in the whole of United States, so that you can check them out as they occur. We hope to connect you to the wide variety of cultural and art events that are out there. If you have any events that you are organizing, feel free to contact us at admin[at]burmesearts[dot]org and we will post it on our calendar.

Where our name Kinnari comes from

Kinnara is a mythical half human-half bird celestial being in Burmese folklore, also common in Southeast Asian Buddhist mythology in other cultures, such as Thai and Hindu. The story tells of a beautiful love-story between two such beings. The female form of this being is called Kinnari. She is a symbol of art and literature, dance, song and poetry, feminine beauty, grace, and lastly, accomplishment. We pick this name because it encompasses all that we value: arts and literature, music, culture, beauty, education and progress.

Below is a video clip of the Burmese version of Kinnara-Kinnari dance: