Rangoon Local Customs

What are you? Hindou or Moslem? No, I am an Yehudi. I am a moslem he called back but what does it matter, we are all human beings.. and for the next few minutes the pavement was filled with the sound of his laughter and the ambiance of his mirth..

Telephones or public phones as we know may not exist in Burma, but around each street corner, there would be a table with a few telephones placed on top.. you can make local landline or mobilephone calls or long dsitance calls to other towns. it is very cheap, local calls are only 100 kyats per minute (yuzana garden hotel charges 600 kyats per minute). there is one in front of Yuzana Garden Hotel that i use..

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I have known this family who has a small corner store along anwahrata road, the indian section of downtown Rangoon. They are moslems, and he has vague notions, like many of his compatriorts, of where their ancestors had come from, but absolutely no loyalty or connection to India. the wife is a Bamar Moslem. the children are all educated and when they can they helpout at the shop, whether selling little things or sewing leather goods, whatever they can. the older three have either finished university or finishing university and the younger two are at school.
I am always very touched by the cavernous welcome they afford me when i come into their view from their corner store.

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Burmese are unlike any other group of people whom you would run into in Asia.. they are very devout but more importantly they live their belief systems.. it is heartwarming to see them accumulating merit by doing good deeds on a daily basis...
here are two photographs of a baby, who is still at his mothers breast, learning to pray without being told, at the Schwedagon pagoda..

In no country in Asia, I have felt the spiritual ambience as I have felt in Burma.. there are rituals like they have in India but the sensation is very different..

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As the telephone network remains quite rudimenary in Myanmar, and poverty is almost the norm, there are few household telephones on the country. There were a range of open area telephone services, such as these sheds and cubicles, and some were on smaller streets on flimsy tables holding two old fashioned telephones. Quite unique really!

When we visited Shwedagon Paya, our guide pointed out this neglected black Buddha. He explained that families basically sponsor a Buddha image, and care for it's maintenance. However, if the family falls on hard times, of course, so does the Buddha image.

While we have "bubblers" and water fountains in many of our public places, as well as the increasing bottled water industry, in the West, Myanmar's version of a public water source seems to be these water stations. These are usually large ceramic pots, sitting on an elevated platform, with cups.

I'm not sure whether its a public service or locals take responsibility for doing the refills. We saw plenty of people drinking from them - usually with their own cup. We also shared our water with a distressed little boy one day, when the family discovered that the pots were empty.

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Betel chews are known as Kunya, and they are chewed by most adults, male and female in most parts of Myanmar. Seeing a set of white teeth is a relative rarity. Although we had read that chewing the nut in public has been made illegal, there was no real evidence that this is a law taken seriously. The footpaths were covered in spittle marks, stationary objects, such as posts and even pots (as in the pic) who evidence of years of accumulated spitting out of the red gunk. Any holes in the footpath were particular favourite spitoons, but there were sand filled receptacles, which were respectfully used in temples, and along the streets in places. The overall effect is quite grotty.

The most basic form of betel chewing is as pictured. Small chunks of the dried nut are mixed with lime paste, and wrapped in betel leaf - which come from two separate plants. Some people actually chew the fresh nut as well as the dried version. The items are called "quids" and are held in the mouth and chewed. Apparently, experience chewers can hold them for hours without spitting.

This is a long standing tradition, and is reported to create a feeling of enhanced well being - mild euphoria (if there is such a thing!), and general stimulation. It is also reported to facilitate digestion, and treat certain intestinal worms. It stains the teeth a dark red colour, and looks very unattractive. Even the most well dressed men and women often have a blighted smile as a result of several years of this habit.