Dos and Don'ts in Myanmar
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GET TRAVEL TICKETS IN TIME- So many people wish to travel, especially in the travel season, it is wise to get your travel tickets in time. There are many rules about when tickets may be bought that it is advisable to check early to be able to travel by the means of your choice on the day you wish to travel. Your tour agent. If you are going it alone, you will have to go it alone to the various booking offices. TRAVEL FACILITIES MAY NOT BE THE BEST- Travel facilities may not be the most comfortable and you may have to 'rough it out'. Trains may have a different kind of running water (no water in the wash-basin but water on the floor which 'runs' here and there with the rocking motion of the train). You may be asked to report too early to the airport and the plane may come in too late. The car you hired may have alternate tires going flat. The cab-driver may be as bewildered as you concerning the whereabouts of your inn. But this is part of the adventure of travel. SHUT SEAT-WINDOW ON TRAIN- When the train slows down or stops at a station or anywhere, especially at night, keep the glass-window down. If you have something attractive or valuable on the seat-table it could be snatched away. Also, don't ride with your arm on the window-sill or your imitation Rolex watch could be snatched. Ladies should not put their heads out or the necklace could be snatched. The glass-window should be pulled down if you intend to shut your eyes to doze. BAGGAGE WEIGHT LIMIT- Since all seats tend to be occupied on internal flights, the airline generally does not permit excess baggage. Check the weight allowed and rates for excess baggage. MOLES NOT KILOMETERS- Distances are calculated in miles, not kilometers. To convert from miles to kilometers, multiply by 1.6. Example, 50 miles is 80 kilometers. GET POTABLE WATER AND SAFE FOOD- Not all trains have dining-cars and not all bus-stops have the best restaurants. Journeys may take quite a few hours and the weather may be warm in some months. Make sure potable water and safe food are available. If not readily available you might need to carry your own. Your hotel or inn should be glad to pack you some food and a couple of bottles of filtered water.
Half the fun of visiting a country is buying that country's special products like lacquer ware, local textiles, precious and semi-precious stones, pearls, paintings and various souvenir articles. HAGGLING OVER PRICES- When someone is about to visit the East, the first piece of advice received is, 'You have to haggle over prices'. Though you find at find that more and more commodities are being sold at fixed prices, that advice may still be useful as a principle of commercial behavior. You engage in haggling over prices to compensate for the almost automatic response of the seller to raise the price on seeing a foreigner. The visitor who is not so experienced haggles over the price. She asks for the selling price to be reduced. The smarter visitor asks for a larger discount on the selling price. To reduce the price implies that the seller had raised the price in the first instance. To increase the discount rate demonstrates that he is being generous. He will be easier persuaded to be generous. BEWARE OF IMITATIONS- Myanmar production is not yet of that quality to successfully imitate international brand names. However, neighboring countries do have that ability and there are imports not specially directed to foreign visitors but to local customers. But foreign visitors may unwittingly be taken in. So do beware of imitations of international brand name goods you find in the stores. BE CAREFUL IN BUYING GEMS- Myanmar is a big producer of rubies, sapphires and assorted semi-precious colored stones. With the opening-up of the market-oriented economy more private dealers have opened gem and jewellery establishments. This has increased the possibility of imitations being offered as the genuine stones or stones enhanced with treatment being offered as natural ones. Myanmar diamonds have not yet entered the market in volume so there may not be many there presently. BE ALERT TO ANTIQUES- Antiques cannot be taken out of the country. What looks like antique has to be certified that it is not before customs will pass it. So if you like a handicraft that looks like an antique, and is not, don't pay 'antique' prices for it and ask if the shop is willing to go through the process of getting a certificate that it is not an antique. This puts the shop in a bind.
BEPUNCTUAL- It is best to be in your seat on time for the show. It is bothersome arriving after the lights have dimmed. As you grope your way toward your seat you may step on people's feet or obscure their view at the least. You will miss the preliminary announcement and will be unable to read the program notes. With all the fluster it takes a while before you settle down to enjoy the show. Be on time. When you visit a show it may not be like what you think it should be. The music is too noisy, the movements apparently repetitious, the plot surely involved, and the show certainly too long, especially when you don't understand the language. Yet there is so much in a Myanmar show to appreciate if you if you will. The varieties of musical instruments, the exotic costumes, the graceful dances, the natural beauty of the dancers, the rolling rhythms of the cadences even if you don't understand. Be appreciative and you will find so much to value. LAUGH BUT NOT TALK- There are four things you can do at a show-- talk, laugh, weep. The fourth one, we will come to in the next paragraph. Talk with its conceptual content tends to disturb people with earshot. Because of the conceptual  content, the message in talk, their attention is caught whether they like it or not. This distracts from what is happening or being said on the stage. But laughter has no content. It is just a noise. When the music is playing loud your laughter can scarcely be heard. So laugh but don't talk.When the hero is being mistreated or the heroine list in the forest you may listen to her lamentation and weep with her. But it would be silent tears. There is no rule against that. Have a nice cry. TRY NOT TO SNORE-  It is understandable, even forgivable, that after a long day's sightseeing in the sun, you come into the cool auditorium to watch a show whose plot you don't know, in a language you don't understand, and that you feel drowsy and occasionally fall off to sleep.Sleep you may, but try not to snore.
TAKE YOUR BAG WITH YOU- Take your bag containing your documents and money along with you wherever you go, even to the washroom. Don't leave it with a companion, for the simple reason that your companion may not be as alert to what happens to your bag as much as to his or her own, and this possibility may be exploited by any watcher who's interested in yours. THE HOTEL SAFE DEPOSIT BOX- Not knowing which hotel you are in, there can be no recommendation either way to use or not use your hotel safe deposit box. Hotels or inns here do not usually have the personal safe deposit box in your room which you can operate with your own code. DON'T GAMBLE- Some foreign visitors are fond of gambling and look out for a chance to engage in their favourite pastime or activity. But gambling tends to take you into dubious places among unsavory characters and one never knows what might happen. You also take an additional risk in that gambling in any form is illegal in this country. DON'T GO ALONE TO OUT-OF-THE-WAY PLACES- If you go to out-of-the-way places you might get lost among people who may not have the smattering of language necessary to help you, however much they might want to do so. In the day you will probably get back to familiar streets. At night, on a lonely stretch of road, in the rain is a typical setting for a who-dun-it. DON'T GO WHERE YOU ARE ADVISED NOT TO GO- Though most of the exotic and interesting sites have been opened up there remain a few areas which are considered not advisable to visit. However, there are some foreign visitors who feel they must go to those places so that they may write a travel article or money-making book or a report they can use for their own convenience. The advisory is there for your own good and you should heed it. BEWARE OF CHEATS, SWINDLERS, IMPOSTERS- Comparatively, this country has a smaller population of cheats, swindlers, imposters and assorted 'bad hats' as the quaint phrase goes. But if even one works successfully in you, the smallness of numbers becomes irrelevant and you are the loser. So don't be sweet-tongued into action which you will later think was not wise. "Don't judge the age of the bullock by the smile on the face of the farmer," goes the saying. AVOID USE, TRAFFICKING, HANDLING, POSSESSION OF NARCOTIC DRUGS- Be very careful to avoid trafficking, handling, possession or use of narcotic drugs. The death sentence is not mandatory here for such offence but you can be in very deep, deep trouble if you are caught. BRING SOME MEDICINES- If you are under medication, you will have your pills. Even if you are not taking medicines regularly you should bring along same dehydration salts and anti-diarrhoetics, some some antibiotics, travel sickness pills (the rail coaches here are well known to be wilder than rodeo broncos), salves for insect stings, mosquito repellant, gauzes, bandages and Band-Aid. You might also bring along scissors and something to pick out a thorn (you step on at least one on Bagan ground). DON'T GET DRUNK- Drink but don't get drunk in public places like restaurants or the hotel dining room even among established friends. You know the reasons. If at all you must get drunk, do it in your hotel or apartment room and only among true and faithful friends, not somebody you just picked up.
REMOVE FOOTWEAR BEFORE ENTERING PAGODA PRECINCTS- Footwear must be removed before entering the pagoda grounds. In some places, in some countries, footwear may be permitted up to the building in which the Buddha image is enshrined,  footwear being removed only when the shrine building is entered. In Myanmar, it is considered essential to remove footwear before entering the compound in which the pagoda or shrine is sited. The question of footwear in pagoda precincts was a crunch issue during the colonial period. There was an uproar in the country when the British rulers claimed the right to wear shoes in pagoda precincts and an armed rebellion almost ensued. The shoe question gave impetus to Myanmar's struggle for in dependence and was the beginning of the end for British colonial rule. Another question: "After shedding the shoes, should one keep the socks on?" The short answer: What you wear on the foot is footwear. Right? It is more comfortable to be barefoot in those places. And you don't want to start a war, do you?REMOVE FOOTWEAR BEFORE ENTERING MONASTERY PRECINCTS- The same rule of removing footwear applies before entering monastery precincts. But in some cases there can be a relaxation of the rule. The presiding monk, with the consent of the resident monks may permit footwear in the monastery precincts. An example is the Hermitage of Maha-Si in Yangon where footwear is permitted. The grounds of the Hermitage are extensive and many foreigners come to meditate or to visit. However there are many more monasteries where the rule is followed. How do you know what to do? Observe others. If the locals keep their footwear on, you may do so. If you meet no one, it is better to remove the footwear until someone tells you that you may have them on. Monks and novices remove their footwear when on their morning rounds to accept merit food. WEAR DECENT CLOTHES TO THE PAGODA OR MONASTERY-  Don't go dressed to the pagoda or monastery as you would to the beach in loose blouse, semi see-through or short shorts. The role against short pants, apply to men too. Pagodas and monasteries are centers of Buddhist veneration. and Buddhism teaches that the cause of all suffering is desire. In this instance, though the dress may not be an embarrassment to oneself. it is better not to be an embarrassment to others. Wear decent clothes when going to the pagoda or monastery. BEHAVE IN A PROPER MANNER- The pagoda or temple is a place of worship and spiritual development, and as such is worthy of proper behavior. Avoid rowdiness, shouting or laughing and making fun. At the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, music is not permitted on the Pagoda platform. Music troupes who usually accompany novice-to-be processions to the Pagoda leave their instruments at the foot of the 326 feet (99.4 meters) Pagoda Hill. Some monasteries do not permit music on their grounds; some do. Pagoda festivals have theatres and music halls built on sites set aside for them. AVOID BEING A NUISANCE WHEN TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS- Some pagodas and temples such as the Shwe Dagon Pagoda at Yangon and the temples in the archaeological zone at Bagan require the payment of a fee to take photographs. A few such as the Myinkaba Gupyauk-kyi at Bagan do not permit photography altogether in order not to affect the murals. So don't take photographs if not allowed. Avoid lewd or funny postures with pagodas or Buddha images as background. Don't lean on Buddha images or otherwise use them as props. Monks do not like to be photographed. No show of annoyance on his part only means that he is being forbearing. It is proper to ask permission first. DON'T SIT WITH BACK AGAINST BUDDHA IMAGE-  You may have occasion to sit or rest in a prayer pavilion or shrine which houses a Buddha image or images. Or you may form a conversation circle with your companions in these places. If you do so, don't sit with your back against a Buddha image. It is obviously a sign of disrespect or ill-manners.Even if you are outside the prayer pavilion you may still be on the pagoda terrace or platform. At the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, you would be on the platform with the Pagoda looming over you. If you sit on the platform it is better not to sit with the Pagoda at your back. TUCK AWAY YOUR FEET- When you sit on the floor, as you will do, in a prayer pavilion, on the pagoda platform or in a monastery building do sit neatly or modestly. The legs should not be stretched out. The feet should be tucked away, the skirt pulled over the knees. It is better if the tucked away feet are not toward the Buddha image or pagoda. DON'T SHOW SEXUAL AFFECTIONS AT THE PAGODA- It should be clear without p0rompting or reminder that a pagoda, temple or monastery is a place of worship or reverence and that indulgence in or exhibition of sexual affection is not proper there. Show of sexual affection is hugging, teasing or kissing. Simple holding of hands might pass but why do even that when there are other occasions and places to do it. DON'T DISTURB PEOPLE PRAYING OR MEDITATING-  People praying or meditating can be disturbed by loud talk, laughter or movements beside them. Avoid loud talk or laughter near those people. When going up to a Buddha image or a planetary prayer post or passing through a prayer pavilion, take care not to step on or brush against them, especially when the prayer pavilion or terrace is crowded.DON'T HANDLE BUDDHA IMAGES OR SACRED OBJECTS WITH DISRESPECT- You may forget that Buddha images or statuettes are sacred, and wily-ninny leave them on the floor, at the foot of the bed, or more seriously, throw them among the shoes. You may even wrap them with women's underwear to pack them in the bag. Avoid doing these. The same advice goes for statuettes of gods, photographs of pagodas, Buddha images or monasteries and books with pagodas on the cover. Do not take such books to read in the bathroom or leave them there. DON'T KEEP BUDDHA IMAGES OR SACRED OBJECTS IN INAPPROPRIATE PLACES-  LEAVE A DONATION- You will find little glass cases with a slit opening on top and money inside or booths accepting donations for upkeep, illumination, gilding, of the pagoda and for the nine functions. It is not essential that you do it but you will feel good to leave a small donation. If you donate at the booth, you will get a receipt. SHOW RESPECT TO MONKS, NOVICES AND NUNS-  A monk observes the 227 rules of the Discipline, studies the Doctrine, practices meditation, is celibate, does not eat after noon, leads a life of abstinence and minimum wants. He is worthy of respect and reverence. The young boy in yellow robes observes much fewer rules but the discipline is equally strict, He is dedicated to becoming a monk and is waiting to reach the permissible age of ordination. He is equally worthy of respect. The female religious on in light-yellow robes and clean shaven head is a nun who is equally dedicated to a life of discipline and the study and practice of the Doctrine. She is only a nun because the lineage has been broken and there is now no Order of Bikkhuni (female monks).DON'T OFFER TO SHAKE HANDS WITH A MONK- However friendly you may feel and however cordial he may appear to be, don't offer to shake hands with a monk. That would be disrespect. You can raise your hands with palms pressed together in a gesture of reverence. This is the action of gadaw. about which more earlier. OFFER ARTICLES WITH BOTH HANDS- When offering a gift to a monk, do so with both hands. Whether standing or sitting you should approach him to within comfortable reach of bend forward. If the presentation is not within comfortable reach, the act of giving is not accomplished and he will give away the article. SIT LOWER THAN A MONK- Don't sit higher than or at a level with a monk. Place him on a chair or platform so that you will be at a lower level. If there is no platform or chair available, he will sit on a thin cloth cushion which is laid out. By this means he raises himself that much from the floor on which you sit directly and saves you the act of disrespect. WHAT TO DO WHEN OFFERING A MONEY DONATION- A monk is not allowed to handle money. But in an economy where virtually everything is magnetized it is impossible to live without money. The monastery needs money for upkeep, repair and development, for the feeding of monks and novices, and for the "nine functions". If you wish to help by donating money, you should put the money in an envelope or a fold of paper and request the monk to designate a lay person to accept the donation. When he does so you can hand over the money to that person. The money will be entered into an account held in trust, and used for the "nine functions". The monk may ask for donations to be paid out of that fund to other monasteries, pagodas or charities. DON'T OFFER FOOD AFTER NOON- The rules of the Discipline does not permit a monk to eat after twelve o'clock noon. A novice and a nun also abstain from eating after that tome. However, they may accept a drink of lemon juice or other fruit juice free of pulp or substance. They will not take milk or tea or coffee. The next food accepted will be the earliest at dawn. DON'T STAMP ON A MONK'S SHADOW- If you meet or overtake a monk whose shadow is cast towards you, step aside, not only to avoid brushing up against him but also to avoid stepping on his shadow. A monk's shadow is as much a part of him and to step on it, especially the shadow of the head, is a sure sign of disrespect. A WOMAN SHOULD NOT TOUCH A MONK- The rules of the Discipline does not permit a monk to touch anything female, let alone a woman.  To be touched by a woman is an infraction of the rule. Also, it is disrespect on the part of the woman. To let him avoid the consequence of breading a rule and also as a matter on respect. a woman should not touch a monk. She should avoid the possibility in a crowd or conveyance for the monk to be pushed to brush up against her by moving aside. Myanmar women follow this behavior.BUDDHISM BACKGROUND- The Buddhism of Myanmar is Theravada Buddhism, the Doctrine of the Elders, which is the Buddhism of the original preaching of Buddha. As such, it is different from Tibetan or Japanese Buddhism, Mahayana or Greater Vehicle, which contains later developments. The essence of Buddhism is the self-reliance and self-effort in the great endeavor for liberation from the cycle of rebirths. Buddha was born about the middle of the sixth century B.C. at Lumbini in present Nepal on the border as Prince Siddattha, son of king Suddhodana. Foretold that He would one day renounce the princely life, the king had him sheltered from the world. However, He saw a sick man, an old man, a corpse and an ascetic. Prince Siddattha thought: "Though I am well now. this body is liable to sickness; though I am young and strong now, this body will soon become weak with old age; though I am now alive, this body will surely come to death. Perhaps the way of life of an ascetic may enable Me to understand the world." One day, He renounced the princely life and practised the austerities, but at the end of six years He realized that giving pain to the body did not develop the mind. So He practised meditation and finally purified His mind, and attained Enlightenment. All things are transient. Transient things do not follow your desires. Hence, there is suffering. Desire is the root cause of suffering. there is a way to end this suffering. It is the Middle Way of morality, concentration of mind and liberating knowledge. The wheel of Samsara is broken and Nirvana attained. Buddha's last words were: "Transient are all compounded things. Strive on with mindfulness."
ACCEPT THAT THE BUREAUCRAT IS RIGHT He knows more about the matter at hand that you do. He'd been doing it. He knows how it is to be done and not done. He knows what is allowed and not allowed. For every argument of yours he has one to better it. Don't argue. There is a maxim: 'The bureaucrat is always right especially when he is wrong.' Accept it. OBSERVE REGULATIONS One course to follow to get out of the way of the bureaucrat is to observe the regulations however irksome or irrational. If you don't know what they mean, ask him. He might be pleased. On the other hand, he might be irritated. You can't win. You see what I mean?
DRESS AND ACT DECENT-  It is better for ladies to avoid wearing short shorts, see-through or semi-see-through blouses in public. The hairy bare chests of men are equally embarrassing. You might think, If they want us to come we'll come the way we are. Of course, no one will come up to you and tell you not to dress or act like that. But it does not mean the people are less embarrassed. A Myanmar say9ing goes: The perpetrator is not embarrassed, the viewer is.DON'T HUG AND KISS-
DON'T BE OVERBEARING- Some people enter a restaurant like a potentate with a full retinue,  head straight to an empty table, and if directed to another demands to see the Manager. They snap their fingers at any passing waiter, wants to know why the order is taking so long and complains loudly about the food. Such people with overbearing, domineering manner are the terror of restaurants. Don't be one of them.DON'T BE LOUD- There is another type of person with ill manners in a restaurant. That is the person who calls the waiter with a loud voice, orders with a loud  voice, talks with a loud voice, asks for the bill with a loud voice and departs still talking in a loud voice.In a karaoke establishment or a restaurant with loud music you may have to raise your voice in conversation to be heard. But in other quiet restaurants avoid being the one who is loud. BECKON THE WAITER CORRECTLY- DON'T PREJUDGE THE TASTE- Every chef adds his personal touch to even the most humdrum dish. Every country gives a local flavor to what one might assume to be a  standard internationalized dish. So don't judge the dish you are served as not being up to mother's home-cooking or like your favorite dish at the corner restaurant in your town. Be prepared to taste different flavors and be adventurous to try new ones.SPEAK SLOWLY AND CLEARLY- Many a wrong dish has been served either because of a garbled order or misunderstanding between guest and waiter. To avoid later argument and unpleasantness, you should speak slowly and clearly. If the dishes on the menu are numbered, point to number, repeat the number and state the order. And check to see that the waiter has got it correctly. KNOW THAT IT TAKES TIME- PAYING THE BILL- In restaurants you beckon the waiter and say, "Check", This can be accompanied by a mime of the act of writing. In eating-places the waiter can be called and you draw a circle with your finger to encompass the whole table. he will understand. In teahouses, you just get up and as you go out you will pass the cashier. The charge will have been shouted out to the cashier by the waiter in charge of your table. The cashier will either tell you the amount or write it on a slip of paper. You pay and you leave. SHOW APPRECIATION-
SAFE FOOD Hotel and food in the big restaurants is generally safe. Hot food at roadside stalls should pose no harm if your stomach has been familiarized to eastern food. Generally, it is not the food which is cause of the trouble but the receptacle dish or bowl which may not be thoroughly washed clean. AVOID STALE FOOD WHEN TRAVELING When Traveling you may have occasion to buy and eat food at a railway station or roadside shop. Make sure that what you are ordering or buying is not stale food. Fried snipe, quails, sparrows, and chicken giblets tend to be fried over and over again. And avoid fruits which are overripe. BE ADVENTUROUS These warnings about food are just a reminder to be alert. Yet you should be adventurous in trying Myanmar food. Some dishes may be oily but these can be passed. Others are delicious, especially the athou (salad). There are also scores of varieties of moun (snack or dessert) which are a gustatory delight.
HOLD YOUR TEMPER- Traveling in a foreign land is unlike staying home. Things may not be like  what you are used to or how you expect them to be. Moving around will generate quote a few occasions for irritation or frustration. When that happens, the easiest thing to do is to give way to your temper. But think what you can gain by that. The object of your temper is not going to be made more willing or more efficient or speedier; rather the reverse. Think of what you are doing to yourself and your image, There are few sights uglier or more laughable than a person losing temper. So hold your temper.MAINTAIN A PLEASANT VOICE-  The tone of voice is an indicator of a person's mood. A loud, fuming voice indicates anger and turns people away. A pleasant voice indicates a happy atmosphere. It smoothens relations and motivates people. What cannot be achieved by the loud, hectoring voice is accomplished by the pleasant one. So maintain a pleasant voice in all your dealings.BE PATIENT- Things have to be done in time. There's a plane to catch or a train, and people to meet. You want to be sure you don't miss them. However, things also take time to do. The persons serving you may be doing what has to be done and is in no way being cussed. Or somebody's problem may be holding up the line. There may be good reasons to worry, but don't. Take a deep breath, calm yourself and be patient. Things will turn out all right. BE UNDERSTANDING- A traveler from the East in the West will find life is not like what it is at home. So also with a traveler from the West in the East. the air itself is different (cleaner, perhaps, and warmer). The persons serving you have had a different life experience, a different outlook. But as much as within their capacity, they are trying to please you. They want to avoid the unpleasantness of a complaint from you. So put yourself in their place, be sympathetic. Be understanding. Remember the notice in a western saloon. "Don't shoot the man at the piano. He's doing his best".
FRIENDLINESS- Myanmar people are friendly and are especially ready with a warm smile to welcome a foreign person. They have a genuine interest in a person as a person, not out of curiosity but from fellow-felling. This feeling is reinforced by the notion generally geld that people meet in this life because they had been friends in a previous life and that now is the chance to renew old friendships. Thus, any meeting of people starts from a basis of friendly felling. HELPFULNESS- Myanmar people exhibit a readiness to help. They may not articulate the question, "May I help you?". They do not wish to be considered as interfering. But they stand by and are ready to step forward with a helping hand if asked. So do not hesitate to ask for help whenever you need it. They may not speak much English but most will understand what you want. PATIENCE- Myanmar people are willing to wait patiently for something to happen. Not many generations away, perhaps only one, from the agricultural rhythm of the and ripen. A saying on patience presents as illustration an indigenous race who are great growers of tea. If you would have tea of top quality, the palaung must go slowly up the hill. Brought up in a tradition which views the world in a long time perspective, the A Myanmar are naturally patient. Just as they are accommodating to people, they are accommodating to life. TEMPER- Myanmar people are not easily aroused to anger by irritations and frustrations. They consider these pricks and jabs as part of daily life and wonder why anybody would want to get into a temper .This does not mean that the Myanmar are placid. They do get disturber: after all they are human, but not to the extent of rushing into anger. Nor are they cold. They possess the positive feelings of sympathy and loving kindness. PRIDE- Myanmar people are a proud people. Their sense of pride is aroused when they are treated unfairly or in an overbearing manner. Treat a Myanmar fairly and he will serve you well, work hard for you. Treat him arrogantly of in ad domineering manner of tone of voice and he will respond with insolence (tit for tat?) or obstinacy. He may even leave you, not caring for whatever pecuniary benefit association with you might have. Remember when you deal with a Myanmar you are dealing with a person who values obligations. These obligations are not one-directional but reciprocal such as obligation of son to parent and parent to son, wife to husband and husband to wife. NAMES- You will find Myanmar names like U Ba Tin, Daw Khin Lay. The names cannot be divided into two parts: the given name and the family name. The whole thing is the given name. There is no family name. The U is the prefix to the name of man. Daw is the prefixed the name of a woman. The prefix for younger persons are Ko or Maung for male and Ma for female, as in Ko Ba Tin, Maung Ba Tin and Ma Khin Lay. The names without the prefixes would be Ba Tin, Khin Lay, which are sometimes used by senior persons addressing juniors or between familiars. Don't use the respectful U or Daw where Ko or Ma would suffice. Remember too that the wife does not assume the husband's name on marriage. She keeps her given name throughout. GREETING- The Myanmar form of greeting is not confined to any part of the day such that you say, "Good morning" in the morning and, "Good night" at night. Nor is it attached to a gesture like the Thai wai. It originates in a feeling if concern for the other person and a wish for that person's well-being. Some people perhaps finding this form of greeting too personal are creating another form of words which is more general and detached and evokes the notion of blessedness. Others wishing to execute a greeting more concrete and physical are using the Myanmar gesture similar to the Thai wai. neikaun: thala: - Myanmar people are willing to wait patiently for something to happen. Not This is the common Myanmar greet6ing. It asks, "Are you well?" The "well" in this case is not limited to an enquiry after the person's health. It asks about the total well-being of the physical, mental, economic and social conditions. It has its source in the basic Myanmar emotion which is generated in personal relations, and which covers all living things: Loving-kindness. nei kaun: thala: is used by people of equal age or status or to a lower level. A younger or junior person greeting an older or superior substitutes the respectful form ba for tha nei kaun: ba la: be le: - When you meet a friend in the street, going or coming, you may use the more familiar, be le:. Or if you pass your neighbor sitting on the stoop, she will greet you with be le: "Where are you going". Or if you are moving in the direction of your home from somewhere, she will ask, be ga. la thale: "Where have you come from?"This is not being inquisitive. It is an expression of fellow-feeling, a feeling of community and family. sa: pi: bi la: - The same feeling urges a person to use the greeting, sa: pi: bi la: "Have you eaten?: This is asked at lunch or supper time. And if you happen to pass someone who is eating at home or in a food shop, you will receive the invitation, sa: ba oun: "Please eat." min gala ba - nei kaun: thala: is adequate for interpersonal greetings. But when a person is addressing a large gathering, such as a theatre audience, it is felt that there is need for a less personal greeting. Thus, the greeting, min gala ba. (Auspiciousness). This form is regularly used in schools. When the teacher enters the classroom. the children rise and say, min gala ba hsaya ma.. The teacher replies. mim gala ba. It has also become a convenient form to offer to foreign visitors who ask for the Myanmar greeting. So you hear foreign visitors say min gala ba while Myanmar between themselves use nei kaun: ba la:. Sometimes the min gala ba is accompanied by the palms and fingers brought together at chin level. To raise them to the forehead level is to perform the act of gadaw. gadaw. - gadaw. is the name of the act of paying obeisance to Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha (Order of monks) and one's elders. It is done sitting on the floor with feet tucked in beneath you. It is the starting posture of the bow where the palms end up flat together with the forehead touching the floor. When you meet a monk or an elder in passing and there is no time or occasion for a full act of obeisance, the gadaw. is done with clasped palms and fingers at forehead level. gadaw. is also the expression sometimes used to seek pardon. For instance, when in a crowded prayer pavilion you cross in front of a sitting or praying person, you bend slightly and say, gadaw. In thus seeking pardon you say the name of the4 act as a substitute for the act. You also say gadaw. when you have to touch an older or superior person such as when flicking an insect or a piece of dirt off his shirt or jacket. Remember gadaw. is the polite expression to seek pardon of an older or superior person or in a situation which calls for respect. gadaw. is also the name of the act of obeisance.
DON'T TOUCH ANYBODY ON THE HEAD- The head may or may not be considered sacred but it is the most  esteemed part of the body. To be touched on the head is considered to be subject to aggression and a call for submission. Outside of a unique situation where such touching might be relevant, nobody would willingly accept it. It might be just the act to raise the hackles. So the first rule of grammar in body language: don't touch anybody on the head.DON'T PAT ANYBODY ON THE BACK Patting somebody on the back is taken, in some cultures, as a sign of appreciation, encouragement or sympathy. But it can also be taken as a sign of excessive intimacy or condescension. Appreciation. encouragement or sympathy can be expressed vocally and will be accepted as such. Don't take the risk of being misunderstood by patting somebody on the back. DON'T TOUCH A WOMAN ON ANY PART OF THE BODY-
How about shaking hands? A Myanmar woman would prefer not to do that. She would prefer to just smile and nod. But if, in the situation a refusal would be considered unsociable of her she would accept your hand for a quick touch. DON'T POINT A FINGER STRAIGHT IN THE FACE-
DON'T STEP OVER ANY PART OF PERSON- In a bus, train or aircraft, or in a crowded place anywhere, if you have to move and it is impossible without stepping over someone ask permission by smile, nod or gesture. The stretched-out legs will be gathered in or the person lying down will sit up or give you permission to step over the lower part of the body. SEEK PERMISSION ON RETRIEVING AN ARTICLE ABOVE A PERSON'S HEAD- In an aircraft, train or long-distance bus, occasion may arise to retrieve an article from the overhead rack. Ask permission of the person in the seat below. When you retrieve your bag, after receiving permission, make sure you don't drop it on the person's head. KEEP THE FEET ON THE GROUND-  You may be the kind of person who sits down and immediately crosses the legs or rests a foot or feet upon the backrest of the seat in front in an aircraft or train, or you press your feet against the back of that seat. You shouldn't do that. The feet or the shoes on the feet are not the cleanest part of you and nobody likes the vision of a pair of shoes in the corner of the eyes or of something hard pressing in the back. Keep your feet always on the ground where they belong. BEND A BIT WHEN CROSSING CLOSE IN FRONT A PERSON- 
CHECK FACILITIES- Since the name of the place may not adequately indicate the nature and level of facilities offered, it is better to chick them out before you check in. It is not that there is intention to deceive but the proprietors may have been too enthusiastic in selecting the name of their hostelry. CHECK RATES AND CHARGERS- Rates are probably known to you through the tariff sheet. Charges may be the usual ones in practice at hotels in mist countries but it would be useful to check them since they can increase the bill. You should also determine what is to be paid in foreign currency, foreign-exchange certificates or kyats. DO RATES INCLUDE BREAKFAST- Many hotels and inns include breakfast in the rate. However, breakfast may be only toast and coffee with juice, eggs and fruits being extra, The inn may not even offer eggs. Check what you are to expect. MORE ITEMS TO CHECK- Check if your door locks. Check if the water is potable. Sometimes the tap water may not be chargeable beyond the limit of a bottle a day. Check if you can use your electric shaver. The voltage and cycle here may be different.
THINGYAN WATER FESTIVAL- EXPECT TO GER WET- At the Thingyan Festival, water is thrown at you from all kinds of sources: squirts, tin cans, bowls, buckets, sprinklers, garden watering pipes, fire-hoses. No passer-by is spared. In spite of the requests in the newspapers, 'Don't throw water in the postman,' he gets splashed, and he probably likes it. So you too won't be spared. With your foreign features, the merry-makers would delight to turn their full attention to you. Expect to get wet.  DON'T BE ANGRY- When you get half-drowned by that big hose, don't get angry, because that is what they want to do to you. So take it with a spluttering smile. And don't go out in that suit; wear something that will weather the wetness.NOT A TOME FOR BUSINESS- All the offices and enterprises close down for the three or four days of Thingyan and nobody has a thought for business. If you are thinking only of business and don't care for fun, stay away. But if you want to learn merry-making Myanmar-style, come and your days will be full of lights at the many pavilions which provide dance and song and skits beyond midnight. YANGON AND MANDALAY- The biggest celebrations are at Yangon and Mandalay. The celebrations at Yangon, befitting a port and capital city have a modern flavor. Those at Mandalay, the country's cultural center, are more traditional. Since the celebrations are held over three or four days depending on the calendar of that particular year, you can cover both cities. The only action you need take is to make your flight and accommodation reservations early as there re a lot of travelers visiting their home towns for the holidays and Mandalay hotels tend to be fully booked with people coming in for the celebrations. HAUNGDAW-OO FESTIVAL- CHECK DATES- A deeply religious festival takes place on a long lake 3000 feet above sea level against a backdrop of blue-green hills and amidst people of exotic races. Four Buddha images, hardly recognizable as images, so encrusted with gold they are, conveyed on a huge boat in the form of a mythical bird, in a slow journey round the lake for the reverence of people of the Shan State, who come in their boats to celebrate this annual festival. You will need to check your dates early as the festival is held according to the lunar calendar and the dates shift on the international calendar. You will also need to make early transportation and accommodation reservations. But your visit will be worth it because you can make side trips to the State capital, 4700 feet high, and past some of the most beautiful sceneries to a cave of the thousand Buddhas deep inside a mountain. TAUNGBYONE- BE RESPECTFUL- If you wish to observe the magical zone where human life overlaps the life of the spirits, no better opportunity is offered than at Taungbyone, a small town north of Mandalay, easily reachable by train or car. Mediums and followers of the spirits gather here every year to perform their observances and rituals. Images of the various spirits nat are displayed in their shrines and are propitiated in the proper conventional manner. It is a raucous and rowdy festival in an ambience of extra-reality. Participate in the contagious joy but be respectful of the culture and beliefs. Check dates of the festival which is determined by the lunar calendar. Also, make early transportation arrangements since a lot of people will be going that way. You can make a quick day trip from Mandalay. MAYOR'S MARATHON- TBE AT START AND FINISH- The Mayor's Marathon has the start-line in front of City Hall. Since several races are run on the same course there are different start times for the different races. To catch them all and to enjoy the warmth and excitement of the crowd, competitors, fans and watchers, be at the start-line by four in the morning. Then walk the several blocks to the Aung San Stadium to cheer the competitors, young and old, as they come down the stretch, and watch the winner drive off in the first prize motor-car. RUN- If you are fond of jogging, and even if you are not, you can run in the Marathon. The race is not for professionals. It is run more to make the people health-conscious. So you can join in the run, not for the prize but for the fun of running. Of course, you will have to send in your name by the required date. TRADITIONAL REGATTA- BE THERE- The annual Traditional regatta is a major national event which is held in Kandawgyi Lake, just east of the glorious Shwe Dagon Pagoda, for about a week in December. The opening and closing ceremonies are grand spectacles featuring the resplendent traditional royal barge, war-boats with oarsmen and warriors in traditional costumes, decorated floating platforms with stage, screen and TV stars, stages with dances of the indigenous races, and the racing boats. There is also a midway of exhibition and sale booths of the state and private enterprises. OTHERS- DON'T MISS THEM- There are so many other festivals in Yangon and in one town or another throughout the year, which you should see. Check up on them with Tourist Information. Leading hotel lobbies have complimentary copies of periodicals and write-ups.
HOTELWEDDING- DRESS IN BUSINESS SUIT- You will find that a hotel wedding is all glitter and glitz. Wedding guests come in all their finery. This means in their "wedding best" clothes and jewellery of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, assorted Mogok precious stones, their own or borrowed. The bride is dressed in the costume of a court maiden-in-waiting and the bridegroom puts a gaung-baung on his head. This is the one occasion when people "show off". It is wise for you to attend in a business suit. BE PREPARED TO SPEND AN HOUR- Guests arrive a quarter hour before the invited time. If they arrive punctually they may get the seats which provide a poor view of the wedding couple or be ushered into a side room. The bride and groom enter about an half hour or forty minutes later. the reception addresses take a quarter hour after which you are served tea. The chief guests who have garlanded the bride and groom depart about twenty minutes later when all guests get up to leave. All this has taken an hour or more. Likely more. By which time you are absolutely bored, conversation being impossible with others at table because of the ear-splitting music provided by a live band. SEND A GIFT- It would be a nice gesture to send a small gift to the home or to take it along with you to the wedding hotel where you will be received by the parents. HOME WEDDING- DRESS WELL- Because it is a wedding which is not in a hotel but at home doesn't mean the guests don't dress as well as to the hotel. The difference is that your invitation would be to the reception rather than to the nuptial ceremony. So, the bride would be in modern dress, not court costume, and the groom would not wear the gaung-baung. But you still need to wear that business suit. LESS FORMAL- A home wedding reception is a grade less formal than a hotel wedding. It is more relaxed. The music is less ear-splitting. You don't need to arrive a quarter hour early. It is more possible to greet other guests. You can leave earlier than at a hotel wedding. MONASTERY RECEPTION- TWO MORE FUNCTIONS- There are two functions which follow the nuptial ceremony and the wedding reception. One is the wedding dinner which follows the reception. This dinner is only for close relatives and friends of the family who are invited specifically. It is usually a "wet party" with drinks flowing freely. The other function takes place the next morning either at home or in a monastery. This is the offering of merit meal to monks, performed to gain merit for the couple at the beginning of their married life. GREET, EAT, CHAT AND LEAVE- What you do at a monastery reception is simple. You come into the monastery. You will usually not need to take off your shoes because the presiding monk would have permitted the wearing of shoes. You greet the new couple and their parents. You sit at a table of your choice or one that is indicated. You will be served a full meal. You eat. You chat with other guests at your table or you get up to greet and converse with other guests you may be acquainted with. You then say good-bye to the newly-weds and you leave. People don't dress so richly for a monastery reception. If the weather is warm for a suit, it will be all right to go in long sleeves and a necktie.
SEND A MESSAGE OR VISIT- You may send a message of condolence, send a personal representative or bear the message your self by visiting the home. You may present a monetary token to the bereaved in an envelope. A family of your status may not be accepting money tokens. If the deceased is a business associate or a junior member of your company, the token will very likely be accepted. No formal dress need be worn for the home visit. Daily business wear of a shirt and necktie without jacket would suffice. You will see many Myanmar men come to the home in shirtsleeves. AT THE CEMETERY- The body of the deceased will be laid out for last viewing. You can arrive about a quarter hour before the time announced for the funeral. Funerals tend to take place punctually. You may send a wreath if you wish. According to the status of the deceased and your own you may wear a jacket or necktie without jacket as you please. When you arrive you will be given a fan printed in the name of the deceased and a small book with a sutta in Myanmar and Pali to remind people of the transience of life. You will be offered a seat but you will find women sitting while the men stand around. When the time is near, the body will be placed in the coffin, put on a gurney and wheeled to the incinerator or the burial plot as the case may be. The coffin will be preceded by monks, if invited, and people carrying the wreaths. It will be followed by family and close friends. When the coffin will be preceded by monks, if invited, and people carrying the wreaths. It will be followed by family and close friends, When the coffin has been wheeled into the incinerator ante-room and the door closed you may leave after wishing the family. When it is a burial you may leave after some earth is thrown on the coffin in the grave. You don't need to wait till it is wholly buried. SEVENTH DAY OFFERING- The fan given to you at the cemetery carries a general invitation to attend the offering of merit meal on the seventh day. It carries the address, date and time. However, people do not attend without a specific and particular request by the family. If you receive such an invitation you should go. your presence and partaking of the meal is your contribution toward the creation of merit from which the deceased can benefit. The time period for laymen is arranged not to coincide with the visit of monks for the meal so it is very likely that you will not be tied down by a sermon. Things To Take Care When Purchasing The Land 6 |
Posted by Kyaw Min
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