Tai/Shan New year 2106

Happy Pi Mai Tai 2106th!

May the Pi Mai New Year bring us more confidence, peace and progress in our work as it did for Sao Sor Khan Fa (Sky Flying Tiger) (1311-2011) who ascended the throne seven hundred years ago to build the greatest ever empire known in Tai history. 

May our people enjoy good health, peace and prosperity!

2106^th Pi Mai Tai New Year Message

(26 Nov. 2011)

It is a true privilege to greet you all Happy Pi Mai Tai on behalf of members of the Shan Cultural Association (SCA-UK) and Tai community in the United Kingdom. The 2106^th Pi Mai coincides with the 700^th anniversary of the ascending to the throne, aged only 20, of the great Tai King, Sor Khan Fa, (Sky Ruling Tiger) (1311-1364) who ruled the biggest ever Tai nation in history, in the parts of what are now China, India and Union of Myanmar. He made every Tai proud and great. We remember and salute his sacrifice and achievements on this special day.

To welcome Pi Mai this year, we hold an academic seminar, a Buddhist blessing ceremony and a cultural event on Sunday, 27^th November 2010, at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. The seminar focuses on the ongoing cataloging work of some Tai lik-loung, great texts, in Britain. The speakers include researchers and librarians from Oxford, Cambridge and London universities. Our cultural event will include song performance in Tai, Laos and other languages. Like last year, the Laotian community in the UK will join the performance with a famous song, Tai Dam Rumpan. The evening will also feature Kinnari and other Tai dances by members of SCA-UK members.

On this auspicious day, we Tai people think of each other and our Tai families spread throughout the world; we send our warmest greeting of peace, goodwill, hope and love to all of them: we say Mai-soong Pi Mai Tai to each and every one Tai in the world: from Shan State and Kachin State, to Sagaing, Bago and Yangon Regions and other parts of the Union of Myanmar, from Mae Hong Son and other parts of Thailand to Pailin in Cambodia, from Sinpsongpanna (Xishuangbanna) Dai Autonomous Prefecture and Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture to the Dai Zhuang (Bouxcuengh/ผู้จ้วง) from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China to the districts of Dien Bien Phu, Hoa Binh, Lai Chau, Son La in Vietnam, from Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in India to those scattered in Europe, Australia and America.

Happy Pi Mai Tai 2106^th to all!

This year in UK, the SCA_UK members have been part of the project to catalogue Tai lik-loung in two top universities: Oxford and Cambridge, generously funded by the Dhammachai Foundation of the Wat Dhammakaya in Thailand and headed by Dr. Gillian Evison, head of Oriental Section, Bodleian Library, Oxford University and Dr. Kate Crosby, director of SOAS Centre for Buddhist Studies. Our members have also been part of the Shan academic panel at the Association of South-east Asian Studies (ASEASUK) Conference 2011 at Magdalene College, Cambridge University in September.  The SCA_UK boys and girls entertained the academics with traditional Tai dances on the beautiful quad of Magdalene College, with Shan long drum vibrating throughout the famous university town.

Again, may the 2106^th Pi Mai Tai bring peace, prosperity, good health and happiness to all!

Venerable Dr. Khammai Dhammasami, DPhil (Oxford)

Chairman, SCA_UK & Fellow, Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies,

University of Oxford, UK

King Sor Khan Fa (1291-1364)