Nay Pyi Taw, MYANMAR : Myanmar’s new government gave a lavish welcoming ceremony to the new two white elephants in Nay Pyi Taw, hailing the white elephants as a sign the country will be peaceful and its people will enjoy greater progressand prosperity, the state media reports.
Myanmar’s Vice-President Dr. Sai Mauk Kham and some union ministers sprinkled cented water on the two animals captured in the time of the new government and welcomed the two white elephants when they were taken to the new administrative city on Monday.
The government-mouthpiece the New Light of Myanmar said white elephants are symbols of peace and development to the country and the people.
The appearance of the latest two white elephants brings the number to seven in the south-east Asian nation.
The previous five rare beasts have appeared from 2001 to 2010, and two are housed in Yangon and three in the new administrative city Nay Pyi Taw.
All the seven white elephants have the complete characteristics of a White Elephant and their appearance has heralded florishing of the Buddhism, progress and prosperity in the country, the state-run newspaper said.
In Myanmar’s history, rare white elephants were captured during the time of good monarchs who brought peace and prosperity to the country, brining development of the country and its environment, it said.
"The people believe that the changes and development in all sectors and improvement in the country’s foreign relations happened while the two white elephants have appeared have heralded progress and prosperity of the country," it said.
The report said the about five-year-old male captured in south-west Rakhine State and the about 15-year-old female captured in Ngwesaung Township in Ayeyawady Region is housed in newly constructed sheds for them near the Uppatasanti Pagoda, a replica of the Myanmar’s lanmark Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, the former capital and biggest city in Myanmar.
White elephans, actually albinos, have for centuies been revered in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and other Asian nations. They were normally kept and pampered by monarchs and considered a symbol of royal power and prosperity.
White elephants are only norminally white- they often look reddish-brown in the sun, and light pink when wet.
In English and some other languages, a white elephant also means a thing that is useless and no longer needed, although it may have cost a lot of money.