Myanmar (Burma in the former way) is a Southeast Asian country of 135 ethnic groups with their own languages and dialects, being adjacent to India, Bangladesh, China, Laos, and Thailand. With the affordable expenditure, you can easily discover the “Golden Pagoda” nation, being overwhelmed with gilt Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon, getting lost with 2,000 monuments in Bagan from the banks of the Ayeyarwady River or making the most of the fascinating aquarium trade on Inle Lake. There are dozens of things to see and to do in Myanmar; on the other hand, the need of learning about the native culture and tradition cannot be ignored before you set the first step on this alluring country.
Myanmar greetings custom
The Myanmarese do not have the family name, just the first name. You can say “Min ga la ba” – means “Hello”, and put your hands in front of your chest or bow for the first time you meet a native people.
Myanmar Cuisine
Myanmar people only eat two main meals a day at 9 am and 5 pm, and a snack lunch. On rice paddies, they often have vegetables, shrimp, fish that are mentioned as their palatable and indispensable dishes to enjoy. The native people do not eat rice with chopsticks but use their hands to eat rice so that before eating, they must wash their hands in a basin in front of them. Another interesting highlight in Myanmar lifestyle about dining custom is that the Myanmarese use their right hand to pick up the food because they think that the left hand is used for personal hygiene, which is not clean enough for taking the food.
Visiting the pagodas in Myanmar
Myanmar is well-known for gilded pagodas that represent the Buddhism culture of this country. The reverence for the Buddha is shown at the custom when they must take off their shoes before going insides the pagodas no matter who they are. Besides, you should dress elegantly if you intend to drop in the sacred places, no miniskirts, no leggings, and no sleeveless shirts.
Do not touch their heads
For the Myanmarese, the vertex is considered as the sanctuary. As a result, you should not touch their head even with a positive purpose; otherwise, they will feel to be blasphemed.
Forbid embrace and vulgar actions against women
About 30% of women in Myanmar do not get married. Therefore, Myanmar tourists should pay attention when talking to them, not asking the women about their family, husband, and children. Moreover, they do not accept the embrace in public places.
The five above customs are the ones that you must know about before planning for a Myanmar tour so as not to violate their traditional culture. Let’s go to Myanmar for a remarkable trip!