Thanaka: Myanmar's ancient beauty secret

What is Thanaka?

 

In Myanmar, girls and women have been using the finely paste of the Thanaka tree for many centuries to make a beautifying and skin-protecting cream simply called Thanaka. Wearing Thanaka is the tradition of Myanmar and it makes Myanmar women feel confident. They use the root and trunk of the Thanaka tree. Every morning the first thing we do, after washing our face, is to put on Thanaka on their face. They grind the log on a stone plate with water until it forms a paste and put the paste on their face. For thousands of years, people in Myanmar have been using Thanaka to protect and care for their skin.

 

Thanaka, the Botanical Plant

 

Limonia Acidissima L and Hesperethusa crenulata Roem. (Sapindales: Rutaceae), syn. Naringi crenulata, commonly called Thanaka, is a tropical plant species which is cultivated in the central part of Myanmar. Since more than 1,000 years Thanaka served as a traditional skin care product to the people of Myanmar.

 

Cultivation

 

Thanaka is cultivated mostly in Yinmabin, Kani, Hsalingyi, Ayadaw, Monywa, Budalin, Chaung-U townships. Thanaka is sent to Monywa, Mandalay, Yangon and Pakokku townships. Local growers mainly sell Thanaka at pagodas and markets.

 

The number of Thanaka cultivators has increased in Sagaing Region as domestic and international demand has increased.

 

Thanaka trees are mature after seven years and can be used to make a variety of cosmetic and medicinal products. Local growers often grow other, short-term crops among Thanaka trees.

 

Today, local people are producing the value-added Thanaka products and exporting them abroad. Thanaka also sells well domestically.

 

Thanaka submitted to UNESCO for intangible cultural heritage

 

Myanmar Thanaka, which is one of the favourite products of the local people to apply on their face, has been submitted in April, 2020 to the UNESCO for world’s intangible cultural heritage.

 

Myanmar will add the traditional Thanaka, which has been in use for more than 1,000 years and which remains up to these modern years.

 

Myanmar Thanaka is found to meet the five norms. So, we have been attempting to nominate our Thanaka starting from January 2020 for being put on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

 

The survey over the use of Thanaka was conducted across the country. The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture has also surveyed on the social website (Facebook). Moreover, Myanmar submitted a form at the end of March after completing all the necessary information.

 

The UNESCO holds its meeting every three months and chooses the items for putting them on the list of tangible and intangible cultural heritages. Myanmar will know the result in next December 2021 as to whether Thanaka will be listed in UNSECO or not.

 

Fullmoon of Tabodwe is designated as Myanmar Thanaka Day

 

Myanmar Thanaka Planters, Producers and Exporters Association designated the Fullmoon of Tabodwe of Myanmar calendar as the Myanmar Thanaka Day and will promote the traditional cosmetic paste made from Thanaka trees.

 

The reason why the Fullmoon of Tabodwe is designated as the Myanmar Thanaka Day is the sales of Thanaka is high in this month as there are many traditional festivals in this month.

 

The association was formed on 11 November in 2017 with over 150 members. The association is producing Thanaka based value added products to find foreign market.

 

The traditional cosmetic trees are mainly grown in central Myanmar and there are over 300,000 acres of Thanaka trees in the whole country.—GNLM