Myanmar Marriage/Wedding
In Myanmar, regardless of the means by which a young couple is brought together, the marriage ties are social rather than religious. The Myanmar custom is to do court marriage in front of the honorable judge superiors by signing officially before celebrating ceremony.
In modern times, especially among urban people, it is usual for some sort of public ceremony and reception to be held in the presence of parents and elders. The bride and groom are taken to their place in the stage by Master of ceremonies. The master of ceremony reads the Aubur-Zar, eulogy and oversees the performance of the marriage rites such as placing a four-foot long chain around the couple's necks, putting their hands together with palms facing each other, immersing their joined hands in a silver bowl containing scented water and soon. At the conclusion of the ceremony the guests are entertained with music & refreshments. The newlyweds greet the guests and thank them for gracing the occasion with their presence. After the festivities are over, the young couple pay respect (Kadaw) to the respective parents and elders. The newlyweds then proceed to prominent pagodas and say prayers for “successive long marriage life.
All is not yet over -- laughing friends and relatives bar the entrance of nuptial chamber by a gold chain and demand payment for entry. This payment is known as gare-boe “stone money". This is traditional custom of demanding money from the newly-married couple as joyous.
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Novitiation Ceremony
As the majority of Myanmar are Buddhist, novitiation is vitally important. Novitiation is the act of putting one's son into the Buddha's order of the Sangha.
In Myanmar culture, mothers pray for sons so that they could perform this religious duty of novitiation ceremony for their sons. The parent are very proud to have their sons become novice and improve their religious training.
During the summer holidays young boys enter the Buddhist order and become a 'son of the Buddha' for a week or more.
What the ceremony includes depends on the financial status of the parents. There may be entertainment by Myanmar culture orchestras; there may be a procession of the novice-to-be through the town on elephant, or a house for the humble people on ox carts. The noviate wears a crown made of gold thread and glittery sequins, dresses in princely garments of silk, wears a gold headdress and is followed by his parents, family members and local damsels carryings sets of yellow robes, offerings, ornate betel box and by music troupes and dancers.
Novices-to-be have to shave their heads. The boy's mother and father hold a white cloth to receive the falling hair, which they bury near some sacred place. Then they have to beg permission of the monk to be novitiates as they hold a roll of yellow robe with both hands. After investing the monks with the robes, the boys become novices. During his novice hood, he will not take any food after noon, but can have soft drink in the evening.
Novices must keep ten precepts and study Buddha's teaching. They must also meditate. Entering into the novice hood is the first step for them to understand the rules of nature in order to live the rest of their lives meaningfully, peacefully and successfully.
topPuppet
Myanmar puppets are made of clays and wood. For a toy prince puppet, a manly chest and wing-like jacket, accentuated by a wasp's waist and a sarong tucked underneath like a pant complete the picture. The jacket and sarong are made of thin muslin with a design of small paper clippings done attractively. Puppets are manipulated by strings attached at elbows, hands and knees. There are horses, monkeys, giants, elephants, tigers, clowns, even princes. Myanmar puppets are a famous cultural aspect of Myanmar. Puppet shows can be seen at some restaurants or at certain celebrations.
"Myanmar Marionettes "
topParabaik
Parabaik contain Jatakas (Buddha biographies) or chronicles, less frequently Buddhist scriptures. They are according folded books (similar to road map folding) of heavy paper covered in black ink on which letters are engraved.
Betel Leaves and Betel BoxesBetel, tobacco and pickled tea is an expression in Myanmar Language that speaks of hospitality and welcomes a visitor to one's home.
Betel boxes, along with bowls and trays of all sizes and shapes, were important items of the regalia of the Myanmar Kings. Betel Boxes may be lacquer, silver or bronze, ornate or plain, depending on the wealth of the owner, and are part of the furnishings in the knife is.
The circular betel box at first glance, looks solid, but is in reality nicely fitted with a lid over a small container for holding betel nut. The top of the bowl is fitted with two shallow trays, one on top of the other. The upper tray has four little cups to hold ingredients for making betel nuts: cloves, cutch, and seeds, shredded wild Licorice or sweet creeper (Nwe-Cho). Lime, soft and pure, is kept in the brass phial. In the second tray is a layer of dried tobacco leaves. Only when the tray is taken out of the main bowl are green fresh betel leaves revealed.
Betel boxes also played an important part in courtship some fifty or sixty years ago. In those days houses had a kind of Loggia for marriageable girls of the family to entertain their suitors by betel box. The girl chatted with the young men until she chose the person she liked. She showed her preference for a particular young man by giving him a betel quid made of her own hands. The habit of serving the visitor with betel box is a sweet habitual custom of Myanmar people since Myanmar Kings era till now in some parts of the country.