Burma Local Custom Tips by cochinjew

National dresses of Burma

The Union of Burma was united under the legendary king, who defeated various kingdoms: Mon, Rakhine, Shan among others and brought them all under control. so while the Bamar is the majority in the population there are hundred or so other nationalities present in the present day Myanmar

A little note on History of Burma

Thibaw had been 28 years old when the Burma Expeditionary Force of General Sir Harry Prendergast seized Mandalay and extinguished Burma’s thousand year old throne. This was November 1885. Randolph Churchill, then secretary of State for India, had pushed for the intervention in the hope that a short, easy war in Burma would be a good thing for British profits and even better thing for his party on the eve of the general elections. Thibaw, his wife and small daughters were immediately packed off to exile in Ratnagiri, a little town on India’s west coast, not far from Goa. Other members of the royal family were scattered around India. Thibaw would die in exile in 1916: only then was the rest of the family allowed back to Burma, although not to Mandalay.

Thant Myint U
New Statesman
5 march 2007

Those visiting Burma for the first time or interested others, I highly recommend, Amitav Ghosh's book The Glass Palace. A quasi historical romance, this book made me look into the history of Indians in Burma, the royal family's exile in Ratnagiri, and also the Nationalist Movement for Indian Independence led by subhas chandra Bose, a trail I followed a little later, historically speaking from malaysia to Burma.

Local Children

Multiple races are reflected in the faces of the burmese children.. not only myanma, but indians from south india or from bengal , chinese and other peoples from the north and also the tribal peoples from all around burma.
I have noticed that because of so little contact with foreigners they dont beg or ask for anything but just happy to tag along with you and ask you questions or laugh with you..

Burmese Western Ideas

Spirulina beer is marketed as an antiaging beer.. with some lovely myanma models laughing away as they do at all commercial billboards.. looked a bit ridiculous

Always it is Tea Time

It is customary to invite your burmese friends or be invited by them to a tea. there are hundreds of these shops scattered around and one is always at hand. it is wonderful to sit in one of them and sip tea, chat with your local friends and watch the world go by. tranquil is the scene..

Alms for the Monks

While driving around the country, you would see people with bowls extended. as you pass some villages, there is music and there is a group of people with their bowls all ready. Very decent and there is never any pressure. In this picture, students from the University at Taunggy were asking for alms of the drivers for the monastery behind