BURMESE people in Stratford were invited to celebrate their new year at a festival with music, dancing and food.

The area has one of the highest populations of Burmese people in the UK according to organisers of the London Thinngyan, which means water festival.

Celebrations were held last Sunday at the Camden Centre. The event was organised by the Stratford-based Myanmar, the Burma Relief and Welfare Association.

Zeenat Jeewa, spokeswoman for the event, said: "This was a positive opportunity for all Burmese people, men, women and children, young and old, Buddhist, Christian or Muslim, to have fun celebrating their heritage and culture, and to cast off their differences, just for one day."

The water festival is traditionally marked in Burma with celebrations where people pour water on to each other to wash away symbolically the actions of the past.

The London Thinngyan 2005 was a British version of the celebration in Burma, with Burmese food and refreshments such as Dan Pauk, Thet That Lut Dan Pauk and Sanoon Makin, and Burmese cultural performances by professional dancers and musicians.

Myanmar works across the country to help Burmese people who have settled in the UK with access to health care, further education and housing services.

For more information about Myanmar visit the website at www.myanmar-burmarelief.org.uk