Yangon, 28 November 2021 (TDI): Myanmar is celebrating its National Day to commemorate the beginning of the protests against the British; led by students in 1920. It is celebrated in Myanmar on the tenth day following the full moon of the month of Tazaungmone. Tazaungmone is the eighth month of the traditional Burmese lunar calendar.
The British took over control of Myanmar; the then Burma, in 1886. Subsequently, Rangoon, now Yangon, was declared the capital city of British-controlled Burma. Rangoon/Yangon is an important port city located between Singapore and India.
History of National Day
There was deep-rooted resentment amongst the people; especially the students of the then Burma, against the British and their rule. Students launched protests against the Rangoon University Act of 1920 by the British Administration. Eventually, the resentment instigated widespread protests against colonization by the students.
In 1920, on the tenth day after the full-moon day of Tazaungmone on the Burmese lunar calendar, students from the Rangoon and Judson Colleges began protests against the British administration.
Under the Act, the Rangoon College was elevated to the status of a university; however, the changes in the curriculum and administration were unacceptable to the Burmese people. It was thought that the Act aimed to exclude local Burmese.
The protests of 1920 ignited the sentiment of nationalism in the students. It is thought to be the starting point of the resistance movement against the British which ultimately led to the independence of the country in 1948.
Today, Myanmar celebrates National Day to honor those students and their crucial role in the creation of present-day Myanmar. The day is an annual public holiday in the country. A stone block was built on the Shwedagon Pagoda to memorialize the 11 student leaders of Rangoon College. The Shwedagon Pagoda is a gilded stupa located in Yangon, Myanmar.
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