Pork on Stick (Wet-Thar-Dote-Htoe)

This is a favorite Burmese food. Originally from Chinese community in Myanmar, it has become a popular food in cities. Called “Wet-Thar-Dote-Htoe”, it literally means “Pork on Stick”. Various parts of the pig are cooked with soy-bean sauce and seasoning. The parts include carious internal organs like intestine, liver, kidney, spleen, heart, lungs, tongue as well as meat, skin and cartilage. They are then cut into small pieces, and put on tiny bamboo sticks and served. The vendor usually sells on the road side, with all the food served on a large metal pan with charcoal stove underneath. Customers sit around the pan and eat the food dipped in sauce. The meat is really delicious. If you want to try one, just walk in the streets of downtown Yangon. There are many shops there.

This is an update of the previous post I posted last year. I get the photo only now so I added the photo of wet-ther-dote-htoe and posted again.

Myanmar Astrology

If you are a fan of Myanmar (Burmese) astrology, this is a good starting point for you. Not only you could see what your future is, you can also learn Myanmar astrology at this site. The site has extensive articles on Myanmar traditional astrology. Some of the articles are quite indepth. I believe all Myanmar astrology lovers will love this site very much. Check it out at Myanmar Astrology.

Ah-lhu - a donation ceremony

When you visit Myanmar, you will encounter ah-lhu one day or another. What is ah-lhu? It is in deed a religious donation ceremony. People usually do ah-lhu when they donate food and offerings to the monk or the monastry. It can be a sole even. Or it can be in celebration for the wedding, anniversary, or to mark the day a family member died. People usually do ah-lhu at home or at the monastery.

Usually, on the day of ah-lhu, monks are invited to the home. They are then offered food and offerings, after which monks recite Buddha's scriptures and give sermon. After the monks go back to the monastery, meal is served to the invited gusts. This is usually a Burmese formal lunch, although sometimes, it can be monhingha, a popular Burmese noodle soup.

Ah-lhu is an integral part of Myanmar Buddhist life, and most Myanmar people, if they could afford, will do ah-lhu quite frequently.

Chin Head Basket

Have you ever heard about head basket? Well, we have in Chin Hills. Lets call it Chin head basket. It is a kind of basket that you carry by hanging around your head with a string. You don't carry it by hand. The basket is quite a large one, big enough to carry a 5 gallon water container. And people, even young women and children, carry them by a string hung over their head. It is a tiring thing to do so. I once tried to carry one with some weight in it but couldn't carry more than a few minutes. For the Chin people, they have been carrying a big load since they were young so seem no problem carrying a heavy head basket over their head.

Technorati Tags: Myanmar, Burma, Chin Hills, Chin State, Mindat

Mindat - a Southern Chin Town

If you ever want to visit Chin Hills, Mindat is the most convenient and easiest to reach town in Chin Hills. Situated in Southern part of Chin Hills, Mindat is a small but peaceful, beautiful and tranquil town. With a total population of nearly 10,000 people, it is considered a sizable town in Chin Hills. The town is built along the top of a mountain range that runs east and west. So practically, Mindat is a long line of houses built along the main road with some small side roads fanning out here and there.

Situated at 4,860 feet above the sea level, it is cool in summer and very cold in winter. And a lot of rain falls during the rainy season. The best season to visit Mindat is during summer where the weather is cool but not cold, and the roads are dry.

As soon as you reach Mindat, you will notice immediately how beautiful the town is. Tall pine trees line the approaching road while distant mountains shadows the town. It is a scenery that will definitely impress the first time visitors. Then you see the small, beautiful wooden houses with scenic backdrop along the main road. Curious faces of locals will pop through the windows of these houses while the smiling faces of their children will follow you. Welcome to Mindat.

You can see many aspect of Chin life in Mindat. Local people still wear Chin dress and carry Chin buskets and knives while some men carry locally made shot guns on the streets of Mindat. Many women dress beautiful Chin necklaces while some old women still wear enormous Chin traditional earrings. Many people carry woods or rice in Chin head baskets, the one that they carry with a string hung over their head. If you are lucky, you can even observe a Chin wedding or funeral rite. You can also observe the way they make famous Chin Khaung (Chin Beer).

Walk around the town along the small dart roads the run around the road. There are many Chin traditional huts that were built of pine wood and roofed with thatch. See the way real Chin village people live and work over the harsh terrains of Chin land.


If you are a Buddhist, go and visit the Taung Pu Lu (Taungpulu) Buddhist monastery in Mindat. The head abbot is the famous Ashin Pyinnyar Thiri. You can make donation for the monastic school for the local poor children opened at the monastery and operated by the abbot. These children really need your help.

If your guide can arrange for you to stay in a Chin village for a night, ask him. If he cannot, you can still take a walk to a near by village. One thing to be careful is that this area is a malaria area so take a malaria precaution and prophylaxis.

Technorati Tags: Myanmar, Burma, Chin Hills, Chin State, Mindat

Life on Irrawaddy (Ayarwaddy)

If you ever sailed along the great river Irrawaddy, the largest and longest river in Myanmar, you would notice one thing. Life is almost as it was sixty years ago. Old wooden ships still run along the river as it was before the World War II. Workers carry rice sacks over their shoulders, loading and unloading ships docked at the piers. Naked children swim in the muddy river while their mothers bath on the river bank; the same thing that their mothers and grand mothers might have done a century ago. Meanwhile, their fathers row small boats, catching fish along the river. Life was no different from sixty years ago for them.

Irrawaddy, being the longest river in Myanmar, runs through the heart of the country. As most of Burma's ancient cities were built along the river, it was always the life line of the country for more than a thousand years. Although. with the development of modern land transportation, its importance has declined in recent years, Irrawaddy still plays an important role in modern Myanmar (Burma). Thousands of people, if not millions, still depend on the river for their living. Thousands of acres of farms use water from Irrawaddy for firming while people living in cities and towns along the river use its water for domestic use as well as for drinking. And it still plays a major role in transportation of goods among many cities and towns.

I have crossed Irrawaddy many times in a small boat. Every time I crossed, I was fascinated at the vastness and richness of the river. It gave me plenty of opportunity to observe life along the river. While I am writing this article, I believe somewhere along the river Irrawaddy, a child is swimming in the muddy river, completely unaware of the modern marvels that so many of us are enjoying. For those children, life is the same as it was in the time of their fathers, and their grand fathers.

Technorati Tags: Myanmar, Burma, Burmese, Irrawaddy, Ayarwaddy, Culture, Custom

Have you already finished your lunch?

If you ever have an experience of visiting a Burmese friend's house in Myanmar, you will remember that you had been asked a particular question. "Have you already had your lunch/dinner?" is the question that we Burmese always ask our visitors whenever they happen to visit us at meal time. This is not because we are inquisitive of our visitors. This is a simple gesture of good will. We Burmese believe that it is rude to have your lunch/dinner alone while there is a visitor. We always offer our visitors to join our feast, and we really mean it. Some foreigners might think it is rude to ask somebody whether he already has his meal; one of my foreign friends already asked me this question. The fact is, we Burmese people are always generous to our friends, and really want them to join us at our lunch/dinner. This is more obvious in rural towns and villages, where the host will try his best to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I have been traveling a lot in the rural areas of Myanmar, and many times, I was obliged to stay overnight on the way either because of bad weather or broken bus. I just knocked on a stranger's house in a strangers' village and ask for one night's shelter. I was never turned down. They gladly offered me a clean and nice lodging with nice food, although they have never known me before. This is a true spirit of Myanmar which is starting to be disappearing in the cities.

Technorati Tags: Myanmar, Burma, Burmese, Culture, Custom

Greetings

When you meet a friend in an English speaking country, you say “Hi”, or “How are you?”In Thailand, you say “Sawaddee”. In Myanmar, you usually say either “where are you going?” Quite strange, right?

In Myanmar, we don’t have an informal phrase or expression to be used as a greeting. The famous phrase “Mingalar Bar” is quite formal and nobody use it in the streets. It is only used in formal announcements on the airplanes! And it is not really Burmese. The expression was invented during the colonial period; a rather indirect translation of “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, “Good evening”, or “Good day”. The closest literal meaning of “Mingalar Bar” is “have good things unto you”.

So next time you meet a Burmese friend in the streets of Yangon, ask “where are you going?” instead. And remember, don’t ask this question to a stranger. This is only for friends.

Technorati Tags: Myanmar, Burma, Burmese, Culture, Custom

Cinema halls in Yangon (Rangoon)

Compared to other capital cities of South East Asia, Yangon has fewer cinema halls. And most of them are quite old, dating back to as far as the colonial period. There are about six or seven cinema halls in downtown Yangon which show Hollywood, Bollywood (Indian movies) and local movies. They usually play four shows a day.

In Myanmar, the cinema halls are single theatre types, usually having two levels of seating. On first level, there are usually three or four classes with the front seats being the cheapest. Level two is upper class or first class, and the most expensive. Because of limited number of cinema halls in Yangon, there usually a lucrative black market of cinema tickets, sold at two to three times the official selling price, depending on the popularity of the movies.

Most of the theatres in Yangon are equipped with old and out dated projectors and sound systems. There are now a few theatres equipped with more modern projectors and sound systems. However, the quality is still no where near those from other modern theatres.

Khaung (Indigenous Beer)

“Khaung” is a kind of alcoholic beverage made locally in some parts of Myanmar, mostly among ethnic people. There are various kinds of “khaung” produced locally but most widely known are Kachin and Chin khaungs. I don’t know about Kachin khaung, but I have some knowledge about Chin khaung that I could share with you.

In Chin state, the most famous khaung is made in Southern Chin State, especially in Mindat Township. In contrast to khaung from other ethnic people, Chin khaung is made from millet seeds, not rice or sticky rice. Every family in Mindat grows millet seeds in their farms solely for the purpose of making khaung.

The process of khaung making is as follows. First, red millet seed is cooked until it becomes thick. Then it is allowed to cool down. Once it is cool down, yeast is added to it and blends properly. Then it is put into a clay pot and sealed air tight. Fermentation takes place inside the sealed pot. This process takes at least a month, but the longer the fermentation time, the better the quality of khaung. To get a really good quality khaung, it needs at least six months of fermentation.

After a certain period, it is ready to drink, but you need to make beverage or khaung from this mixture. The pot is opened, and water added into the pot. Banana leaves are put above the content and a straw is inserted into the pot. Khaung is then siphoned through the straw and into the cup. First cup is the best and usually served to the guest of honor. When water contents in the pot lowers, more water is added, again and again, until there is no more taste.

The taste of Chin khaung is sweet, and a bit sour. It tastes somewhat like a mix of alcohol, grape fruit juice and lemonade. Khaung plays a very important part in Chin culture. If you are offered a cup of khaung in Chin Hills, don’t refuse under any circumstance. You are considered a guest of honor and refusal of the offer will be considered rude.

Yaw Festival

I was visiting a small remote town (actually a large village) in Yaw region. It was Laungshae, a very ancient town in Myanmar, and situated in Saw township. I saw these local people on a religious procession on a Buddhist holy day.

Chin Hills

Here is a group of local people in a small town in Chin State of Myanmar (Burma) pulling a cow to the market. This is a large mountain found abundant in Chin Hills. They are bringing this cow to the butcher.

Shin Pyu

Shin Pyu is an essential and integral part in a life of a Burmese Buddhist male. “Shin Pyu” is a ceremony in which a young Buddhist male becomes a novice in the order of The Sangha.

For a Burmese Buddhist male, it is important for him to be a novice for a certain period in his life as this will enable him to gain merit which will enable him, in his future lives, to gain Nirvana (enlightenment). Gaining Nirvana is the ultimate goal for any Buddhist. By entering the order of The Sangha, as a novice in this life, it will greatly enhance his Karma (Merit) in gaining Nirvana in later lives. Not only he will gain Karma, his parents will also gain the same Karma as him. Thus, it is the most important event for both the boy and the parents in his life.

Usually, the boy who is around the age of 10 years will join The Order as a novice. There is no fixed age for entering the order as a novice, but he must be under the age of 19 years and 3 months. (In Buddhism, a person becomes alive at conception, so at 19 years and 3 months, he will be 20 years old). He will usually stay in The Order as a novice for a few weeks. (Usually a week to a month, but may be more). He will learn basic principles that are essential in becoming a good Buddhist.

As this is a very important occasion for him and his family, the parents usually celebrate the event in an extravagant manner. The boy is dressed in princely outfits of silk and wears a gold headdress. He is then ridden around the town on a white horse or in a car, in a grand procession. Musicians are hired to entertain guests. Not all families can afford this however, and many shin pyus are more modest.

At the monastery, his hair is shaved and begins the ceremony of becoming the novice. After the ceremony, he becomes a proud member of the Holy Order of Sangha.

How to address a person properly in Myanmar

In Myanmar, if you want to be seen polite, you should be able to use proper title when you address somebody. Burmese use appropriate titles and pronouns when addressing each other. When you are talking to an elderly male, you should put “U” (pronounce Oo) in front of his name. Thus, Mr. Ba becomes U Ba. This is also true if the person you are addressing is a government official or somebody of high social status. When addressing an elderly female or a female official, address her with “Daw” in front of her name. (E.g. Daw Mya). When talking to a male of the same age and social status, you should put “Ko” in front of his name. (Ko Mya). If a female of the same age, use “Ma” instead. (Ma Mya). To a younger male, you can either use “Ko” or “Maung”. (Ko Mya or Maung Mya). To a female of younger age, use “Ma” also. (Ma Mya). To address children, use “Maung” for a boy and “Ma” for a girl.

You should also be able to use proper pronouns when talking to Myanmar people. When talking with an elderly person, call him “Oo” or “Oo Lay”, which laterally mean Uncle. To call an elderly, use “A Ba” or if he is too old, use “A Phoe”, meaning grandpa. To call an older woman, use “A Daw” (Aunty). For an elderly woman, use “A Phwar” (grandma). To call another person of the same age, you can simply use his name. if he is older (just a few years), call him “A Ko” (elder brother). If he is younger, you can call him “Nyi Lay” (younger brother). For a woman who is only a few years older than you, use “A Ma” (elder sister), and for a younger one, “Nyi Ma” (younger sister) is appropriate.

Burmese people sometimes use “Sayar” to address a government official or a superior in work place. Sayar literally means teacher. We also call our teachers sayar. With a doctor, either use sayar or doctor. If you know how to use proper title and proper pronouns when addressing Burmese people, people will be really impressed with you. Moreover, they will think you are really polite.

Yangon Taxi

Like any other cities in the world, Yangon has a lot of taxis running the streets of the city. Unlike other cities in the world, taxis in Yangon are not metered, that means there is no meter to calculate the fare. In fact, there is not a single taxi with a meter in Yangon. (However, this might change in the near future as the Yangon municipality has plans to install meters in taxis). So you have to bargain with the taxi driver when you hire a taxi. Usually most taxi drivers ask for a higher price, especially if you are a foreigner or somebody coming from up country. If you don’t know the usual price, you might be cheated. So a good bet is to bargain for around half the asking price. It is cheaper to hire a taxi using the CNG (Compressed Natural Gas). Look for the CNG sign on the side of the taxi. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is cheaper to hire a taxi driving on the road than the one parked on the side. Those parked around shopping centers would ask for higher than normal price.

One thing to say: the taxis in Yangon are quite old and dirty, without air conditioning. And the driver might smoke. Don’t hesitate to ask him not to smoke if you don’t like.

Burmese Names

Unlike western names, there is no family name in Myanmar. Women keep their maiden names upon marriage, and children can have names which bear no relation to their parents’ names.

Burmese names are either one, two or three syllables. One syllable names (e.g. Ba, Mya, Hla) are no longer in used as they are so outdated although you can still find this name in some older people. Two syllable names (e.g. Zaw Moe, Khin Hla, Tin Oo, Tin Naing, Thet Wai) are mostly found in middle aged people. They are considered outdated by many parents. Three syllable names are a norm of today Myanmar. Examples of three syllable names include Moe Zaw Hein, Thant Zin Myint, Shein Myint Han, Khin Maung Aye, Thet Mon Myint. Now a days, many parents started giving their children four syllable or even five syllable names, such as Moe Tint Tint Zaw, Moe Hae Man Ko, Htet Htet Moe Oo (four syllable), and Hae Mar Hinin Hnin Khine (five syllable).

When the parents choose the names of their children, they usually consult the astrologers. Burmese believe a person’s name can have a great influence on his or her future life. So they consider this a very important thing, not to be considered lightly. The names are usually in accord with the day of the week the person was born. So a person born on Sunday will have a name starts with A, E or O such as Aye, Ei or Oo. A Monday born name starts with K such as Khin or Khine. Tuesday born will have a name starts with S or Z such as San or Zaw. Wednesday’s born name will starts with Y or R such as Yamin or Rarzar. For Thursday born, the name starts with M, P or B such as Myo, Poe or Ba. Friday borne will have name starts with Th or H such as Thiha, Thura or Han, and a Saturday born name will starts with T, Ht, D or N, such as Tun, Htoo, Dwae or Nandar.

In contrast to western culture, a Burmese can change his or her name whenever he likes. Usually, this is done to change the fate of the person, in accordance with the astrological believe, so that he or she can have a greater and better influence on the future life.

Nhit-Lone, Thone-Lone

Well, nhit-lone and thone-lone are illegal lotteries popular and widespread in Myanmar. Nhit-lone means two-digit and thone-lone means three-digit. Although thone-lone has been around in Myanmar for more than twenty years, nhit-lone gained popularity just a few years ago. To play thone-lone (three-digit), the lottery ticket vendors use the last three digit of the Thai National Lottery. This Thai lottery is held once every two weeks, so thone-lone's winning number is also announced every two weeks. Winner gets 600 times the amount he paid for the ticket. To play nhit-lone, the vendors used, in the past, the last two digits of the first prize of the Myanmar government lottery. In the past, the Myanmar official lottery was open every month, for seven consecutive days, announcing the winning numbers every day. There was first price for that day and the last two digits of that winning first prize became the wining number of nhit-lone for that day. To stop this illegal lottery, Myanmar government changed the system of the Government lottery system. Now, all the numbers are chosen in a single day, making it impossible for the nhit-lone dealers to play. However, the nhit-lone dealers have a more brilliant way to keep their business running. They choose the SET (Stock Exchange of Thailand) for their lottery. Here, the last two digits of the closing SET index is chosen as the winning nhit-lone number of that day. So, it is now possible to play five days a week! That is worse than before.

Nhit-lone and thone-lone are so widespread in Myanmar that there is a lucrative business for soothsayers, astrologers and mediums who claim to be able to predict the winning number.

Payae Facial Tattoo

People in Chin Hills used to have the custom of tattooing (Payae) the face of the women. Nobody is really sure how the custom became established, but a legend was that hundreds of years ago, Burmese kings and nobles used to come to Chin Hills and hunt for the beautiful Chin girls, as the fame of their beauty reached the court of Burma. To avoid their women being captured by the Burmese, they had no way but to destroy this beauty. This they done by tattooing the face of young girls.Although nobody could authenticate the validity of this story, many Chin girls, especially those from the North are indeed very beautiful.

As soon as a girl enters the age of puberty, tattoo is applied onto her face - the pattern of the tattoo being the one according to the race she belongs. Thus the facial tattoo of Mun is different from that of Dai. The process of facial tattooing is quite painful and dangerous. Some even died of infection. The practice has been outlawed since 1960s, but some still practiced until around 1980s. The youngest woman I had seen with a facial tattoo was 26 years old. The facial tattooing is no longer practiced anymore, even in the remotest areas of Chin Hills.


Technorati Tags: Chin Hills, Myanmar, Facial Tattoo