On April 10, 2023, the 23rd Kayan National Day celebration was held briefly in the central Kayan region of Pekon Township, led by the Kayan Literature and Culture Central Committee.
The Kayan are a sub-group of Red Karen (Karenni people), a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Myanmar.
Khun Hlwee Si, secretary (2) of the Kayan Literature and Culture Central Committee, spoke about the Kayan National Day ceremony. "It is the greatest day for the Kayan people. Our Kayan National Day is the day that the Kayan nation was born, so it is the biggest historical event for us.
However because of Covid-19 and the political situation, we have not been able to celebrate it. We very much wanted to do it.
But this year, we can’t do much but we are happy that it turned out to be the way we expected.
The people who did not come to our ceremony participated in their own way. We are very happy because we know that the Kayan people have not forgotten their national day," said Khun Hlwee Si, secretary (2) of the Kayan Literature and Culture Central Committee, about the briefly held Kayan National Day ceremony.
At the Kayan National Day ceremony, speeches were given, messages from various associations were read, outstanding individuals from the Kayan ethnic group were awarded, and groups that won the Common Kayan Dance Award were also recognized. After the ceremony, attendees participated in the Common Kayan Dance to celebrate the occasion.
Khun Mar Nway Lel, a young Kayan who attended the ceremony, said, “This is a national day that mainly expresses the unity of the Kayan people. If the national day cannot be celebrated, the unity and harmony of the Kayan people will gradually drift away. That is why this event is so very important.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and political situation, the Kayan National Day ceremony has not been held in full force for the past three years. This year only a brief form of the ceremony was held only briefly because of the violence and instability in this region.
The 23rd Kayan National Day was celebrated across different locations where Kayan people
reside, including the western part of Demoso Township and Pekon City in Southern Shan State, as well as Naypyidaw. The Kayan people living in Demoso and Loikaw in Karenni State are reported to be 70,000,and 90,000 living around Pekon in southern Shan State according to 2020 figures.
Even Kayan people in exile commemorated this important occasion. Kayan National Day was first celebrated on April 10, 2001, and has now reached its 23rd anniversary.
