Kay Htoe Boe
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| Kay Htoe Boe | |
|---|---|
 Totem poles erected during Kay Htoe Boe celebrations | |
| Observed by | Karenni people |
| Significance | marks the New Year |
| Frequency | Annual |
Kay Htoe Boe (Burmese: ကေ့ထျိုးဘိုး), is an annual festival celebrated by the Karenni people in April or May, marking the new year of the traditional Karenni calendar.[1] The festival is held to encourage a bountiful harvest, favorable weather, good health, and peace.[1]
The festival is known by various names, including Kay Htoe Boe (ကေ့ထျိုးဘိုး) or Trar-Ei-Loo in Karenni, Gam-Khumt in Geko Karen, and Tagundaing Festival (တံခွန်တိုင်ပွဲတော်) in Burmese.[2]
Origins
According to Karenni legends, the Eugenia tree was the first to be grown after the creation of the world.[3] Due to its significance, a tall and straight Eugenia tree is specially cut to serve as a totem pole called kay htoe boe on an auspicious day.[2][3] The Karenni recognise three types of totems: male, female, and rice paddy.[1] Male and female totem poles are alternated each year, while the shortest paddy totem pole is erected during harvest time, around the Tazaungdaing festival.[1]
The Kayan, a subgroup of the Karenni people, believe that during the creation of the world, the earth lacked density.[4] After digging a pole into the ground, the earth hardened into seven inner and outer layers to support life.[4]
The totem poles are also closely linked to Burmese Buddhism, as poles known as tagundaing are erected on monastic and pagoda grounds.[1]
