The Burmese: understanding the people of Myanmar.

By Lachlan Pollard  20^th June 2004

Contented, carefree, proud, loving, passive, accepting and respectful are all words that have been used to describe the Burmese. With lives dominated by strong religious beliefs and a connection with the land, they are happy to go about their daily lives simply and with the support of a strong family.

The 50 million people of Myanmar consist of the following: the Burmans who account for nearly 65% of the population; the ethnic Shan of the Shan state (11%); the Karen hill tribes (7%); and a number of smaller tribes – including the Kachin, Chin, Mon, and Kayah - making up the remaining 17 percent.

Myanmar is profoundly Buddhist: the Burmese believe that Buddhism is inextricably linked with their life. Many Burmans also practice Animism (Nat worship), as well as Buddhism - particularly in the hill tribes. Christianity has gradually built a small following and is practiced by some Burmans and several sects of the Karen Hill tribes.

As a result of Myanmar’s recent acceptance of the globalised world, its people still follow century old customs appropriate to their beliefs; foreigners and especially westerners, will need to be aware of some of these while travelling - even though, in neighbouring countries westerners are forgiven easily for ‘faux pas,’ this is not yet the case in Myanmar.  The two main customs to know are, that the head is the most important part of the body and it is considered rude to touch another person's head or pass anything over it, and that the feet are the dirtiest part of the body and should not be pointed at other people or used to push anything out of the way.

At temples, shoes and socks need to be taken off and left at the door, or in some places, at the entrance to the temple grounds. For travellers who really want to immerse themselves in the culture, they can determine where they kneel inside the temple, according to the day on which they were born.  In particular tourists can see this at the Shwedagon Pagoda, a popular place in Yangon (Rangoon) for locals to pray.

To understand more about the Burmese, it is necessary to understand the basic concepts of Buddhism and Animism. Buddhism is the suffering that the human undergoes through their and other’s actions (Karma) to achieve reincarnation and ultimately eternal peace (Nirvana). Animism, within Burma now, is generally regarded as the spirit that overlooks the present life.

The Burmese can tell a lot about a man by his knees and his forehead. It is said that, through the knees and the forehead are the sayings in which people reveal themselves. They practice a class system, of which hunters and fisherman occupy the lowest rung and teachers the top. Teachers are considered one of the five worthy objects (the Buddha is a teacher not a god) and they are revered and obeyed. Students are meek and humble and will never question a teacher; to disown or denounce a teacher would be unpardonable. A Burmese proverb states that a young man, walking in a forest, found a stick of wood that was perfectly symmetrical. He carved a spear and practised until he was very good. Over time his fame spread and he was invited to give a demonstration at the King’s Palace. At the end of the demonstration the King, who was very impressed, asked the young man who his teacher was. The young man replied that he did not have one……. for which, the King demanded him exiled (as he must have had a teacher and not recognising them was a insult).

The class system is so important that instead of using ‘family’ names a complex naming system is used to establish titles: from these titles a person is granted a social position within the community. 

The day on which a person is born is not only used to determine where they pray within a temple but also to make important decisions such as: the choice of wives; business partners and determining which days to conduct important business; or even to have their hair cut! Names are also partly determined by their day of birth.

Burmese culture considers it bad manners to loose one’s temper and a display of anger (or love for that matter) by a visitor in a public place is considered impolite. Instead of being angry about an event, Burmans’ believe that it is Karma; the actions that make up their life and lead to the accumulation of ‘merits and demerits.’ By showing anger they would accumulate ‘demerits,’ which doesn’t help them in their quest to achieve Nirvana.

Customs also dictate that it is necessary to wear long sleeved shirts and pants when visiting temples and to cover up while swimming. Visitors should try to respect these traditions by dressing discretely throughout their stay. Even during Thingyan – the New Year celebrations when water is splashed about – people still keep their shirts on (some will roll the bottoms of their shirts up, but keep the upper chest covered).

The traditional Burmese sarong, the longyi, is still worn by men and women alike; women tie it with a fold at the side and men with a pleat in front. Jeans and t-shirts are slowly gaining popularity, but for the present it is refreshing to see so many people wearing their traditional dress: and the world traveller knows how rare that is!

During festivals women and children often have their faces attractively painted with a yellow paste called thanaka. The paste, ground from the bark of the murea exotica, has three uses: cosmetically, where it is applied to the cheeks, nose and forehead in either solid disks, stripes or neat dotted circles; as a sun protection cream; and for keeping the skin taut.

In general, global misconceptions of Myanmar as a repressed country, have resulted in perceptions of the Burmese as quiet, simple and relatively plain people. This could not be further from the truth: the Burmese celebrate at least a festival a month and stage a drama performance (known as Pwe) at any opportunity. Festivals general occur on, or leading up to, the full moon. Some are one-day affairs, while others, such as Thingyan and Tazaungdaing (festival of lights), last three days and involve decorating streets, competitions, parties, and late nights! Pwe is very important within the culture and the lessons young people learn from it are vital for their growth. Any occasion can be a good reason for Pwe and they can be described as a cross between a skit and a play. Generally they go all night with the performance covering a range of social, political and economic issues.

Books, pictures and film can portray a country and its people in a thousand different ways, but ultimately to best understand a culture requires immersion. Currently the greatest rewards for travellers to Myanmar are the experiences gained while interacting with the open and friendly Burmese.