In this special occasion, people splash water on one another. This festival is held prior to the Burmese New Year, the first day of Tagu which falls in mid-April. The most well-known festival is Thingyan, a four-day celebration of the coming Lunar New Year. Myanmar has numerous festivals which are taken place all year round and most of them are related to Buddhism. There are some places to enjoy traditional dance: Karaweik Palace in Yangon, Darandee show in Bagan, Mintha theatre in Mandalay. They are often incorporated into an orchestra, called hsaing waing. Various types of Burmese music use an array of traditional musical instruments like gongs, drums, hne (reed pipe), wa (clapper and bell), etc.
Traditional dance cannot be separated from music. Although Burmese dance was influenced by its neighbours, it retains unique qualities including angular, fast-paced and energetic movements and emphasis on pose, not movement. Dance & Musicĭance in Burma can be divided into several forms: dramatic, folk, village, and nat dances.
Major cities offer a wide variety of cuisines including Shan, Chinese and Indian. The tropical fruits are often used as desserts. Mohinga, often considered the national dish of Myanmar, consists of curry-flavored catfish broth and green bean flowers, vermicelli and fish sauce.
Noodles and bread are also common dishes. It will be served with a curry, stir fried dishes, soup, fresh or boiled vegetables to go with a salty dish, almost invariably a curried sauce of pickled fish. The main dish in Burmese cuisine is steamed rice. Myanmar cuisine is heavily influenced by Indian, Chinese, Thai, and ethnic minorities. It is taught as a secondary language in schools across the country. They are also used to write many other minority languages, including Shan, Karen and Kayah (Karenni).Įnglish is an important foreign language in Myanmar. Burmese characters used to write Pali, the sacred language of Theravada Buddhism. The alphabet is an imitation of the Mon character which evolved from the male Indian character in the 700s. It is written in circular and semi-circular letters, derived from the Mon character. Burmese Languageīurmese is the official language of Myanmar, linguistically related to Tibetan and Chinese. Although they follow different religions, the people still live in peace. There are also significant minorities of Christians and Muslims as well as some Animists and Hindus. They believe the child will get luck and the family will be blessed in life. According to Burmese culture, people want their children to enter the temple and become a monk. It marks the event of a young boy being a monk in a short period of time. There is also a very important ceremony for Myanmar people called shinbyu. In any town or village, the pagoda festival is the most important one. Most of the festivals are related to Buddhism. Buddhist pagodas, temples and monasteries can be found everywhere from small villages to major cities. Monks are respectful throughout the country. It has a great influence in life of Burmese people. Buddhism is the main religion in Myanmar (89% of population).