Myanmar
By Aden Teghanemt
Basic Facts
- President is Htin Kyaw.
- Capital is Naypyidaw.
- Government type parliamentary republic.
- Language is Burmese.
- Population is 56,320,206.
Culture
This country is very religious even though you can choose your religion. People often have the same things for lunch and dinner which is kind of weird because its hard to find somebody who does that. This country has restaurants and food side stalls which are just in cities.
Religon
This country is very religious, they are almost 90% Buddhist. While there is only 4% Christian and 4% Muslim. Many Buddhists practice spirt worshiping or Nat worshiping. In Myanmar it is free to choose your religion but only Buddhism is promoted by the government. Sometimes non-Buddhist people are even discriminated by the government. Some western Myanmar people are even violent to Muslims. Buddhism plays a big part in the community as a lot of people meet at holy temples or other structures.
Food
Food is a big part of their culture. What we consider a meal is giant compared to what they eat. They usually eat breakfast around 7 AM and thats pretty early considering I wake up at 6:45. They eat boiled veggies and left over rice from other meals. Noodles are also a favorite choice. Lunch and Dinner both consist of the same thing, rice, a curry dish, and some type of veggie soup. Restaurants and street side food stalls are very common in cities. Teashops are a big part of their social life, men watch soccer and drink free green tea and can stay for however long they want. Their food is very different from what we eat in the US. It would be hard for me to have rice with every meal.
Clothing
The western dress is common although some cities they wear traditional clothing. Men wear an eingyi which is a short collared shirt and a taikpon which is a jacket and a gaung baung. Women also wear Thanka paste which is a white paste on their face.
Sports and Entertainment
There are a lot of things that we do that they do. They all love sports and going on vacations. Their favorite thing to do is concerts. They love to dance and have fun!
Sports
Soccer clubs became legal in 2009 and are becoming bigger and bigger ever since. Golf is played by the wealthy Burmese people because it is very expensive to play. A lot of the Burmese people love to do karate and martial arts. Boxing and swimming are two other sports I wouldn't expect them to play. Because it seems like Boxing is not really a thing in Asia, same with swimming.
Leisure
Urban Burmese people spend their free time shopping, going to movies, watching soccer in teashops, and even karaoke. Each year an increasing number of people go to the beach because this country is on the coast. The most popular entertainment is a pwe. It's a live performance with acting, singing, music, and dancing. Performances are common after the Buddhist Rain Retreat. People often also watch Korean television.
Vacation
Many families go on a pilgrimage tour to famous pagodas which are worship events to the Buddhist gods. Many families travel to places with meditation rooms. The most famous pagodas is the Kyaiktiyo which is in Mon State. This is also a very popular place to visit after New Years or Christmas.
Biblography
Flag Of Myanmar. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 13 May 2016.
"Myanmar: Eating." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2016. Web. 11 May 2016.
Myanmar Map. Digital image. Wikimedia Commons. Web. 13 May 2016.
"Myanmar: Personal Appearance." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Myanmar: Recreation." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2016. Web. 11 May 2016.
"Myanmar: Religion." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Myanmar: Government." CultureGrams Online Edition. ProQuest, 2016. Web. 9 May 2016.
"The World Factbook: Burma." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, 26 Apr. 2016. Web. 09 May 2016.