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The day that one has born is the most important in daily life in Myanmar. Every individual soul is being named after the day that he or she has born.

Most Myanmar are Buddhist of the Theravada stream. Central to their religious beliefs is karma, the concept that good begets good and evil begets evils

Another belief is that all living things go through reincarnation. If a person has committed sins, (he or she) will be reincarnated into a lower level being such as an animal or suffer in Hell; on the other hand, if he has done good deeds, he will be elevated to a higher level of existence to the world of devas.

The ultimate aim in life according to Buddhist belief is to escape the cycle of rebirth and reach Nirvana.Meritorious deeds that will help a person to achieve Nirvana include giving donations (especially to monks) and abiding by the Five Precepts and practicing Bavana (meditation).

The Five Precepts are exhortation not to kill, steal, lie, drink alcohol, and commit adultery. The Five Precepts are codes of conduct for laypeople.

Kyauktawgyi Pagoda Yangon

There are also Eight, Nine and Ten precepts, meant to be practised by more serious lay devotees. The Jemghas or monks have to abide by the 227 rules of conduct or vinayas.

BaganLokananda Pagoda

Donors fill all the cots at a blood drive on New Year's Day of the Myanmar calendar, a day on which people traditionally make donations of blood, food, birds or fish and pay their respects to the elderly

Mon State Mudon, Limestone landscape

Mandalay

Some Myanmar people, especially those from the rural areas, have many superstitions Astrology, palmistry and clairvoyance are sometimes relied upon to make important decisions.

These may include marriage, going into a business partnership, naming a baby, and others. To offset bad luck, certain meritorious deeds or yadaya may be performed such as setting free some live birds or animals, building a footbridge, or mending a road.

Superstition of different cultures are interesting in some ways. Here are some of the Myanmars:

•    Don't go underneath a staircase. You will loose your will power. •    Don't go under a pole or rope, where women used to hang-dry their longyis. You will loose your will power.

Festival of LightsThe symbol of the candle’s flame represents the light of the Buddha’s teaching and the enlightenment the lessons added to the world

Superstition of different cultures are interesting in some ways. Here are some of the Myanmars:

•    Don't leave a shoe or a slipper up-side-down. It'll cause bad luck. •    Don't keep a broken glass or a mirror in homes. Replace the window panes a sap if broken.

Superstition of different cultures are interesting in some ways. Here are some of the Myanmars:

•    Don't wash your hair within a week after a funeral in the neighborhood.

•    Don't hit the pot with a ladle after you stir the curry. It's like hitting your parents' head. •    Don't hit 2 lids of pots and pans against each other. A tiger may bite you.

Superstition of the Myanmars:

•    Don't feed someone with the palm upward. The food might cause you disorder.

•    Don't clip your nails at night. Ghosts don't like that.

Superstition of the Myanmars:

•    Don't take kids to dark places. Ghosts may posses them.

•    Carrying some hairs of an elephant tail will avoid evil.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar parents favour their sons over their daughters

but the latter are treasured

as well.

Daughters are not considered a burden as no dowry is paid

to the bridegroom when they

marry.

Bamboo

Typical Inle Lake bamboo home

This house provides another example of woven bamboo walls

Traditional Myanmar women are not aggressive and usually play second fiddle to their husbands. Women are expected to help with the household chores and take care of their aged parents more than men.

Where social life is concerned, unmarried women and bachelors tend to mix with members of the same sex. Between married couples, public displays of affection are rarely seen.

Taung Kalat (Mount Popa)

Mount Popa is considered the abode of Burma's most powerful Nats and as such is the most important nat worship center.

It has therefore been called Burma's Mount Olympus.

Mount Popa is a volcano 1518 metres above sea level, and located in central Burma (Myanmar) about 50 km southeast of Bagan (Pagan) in the Pegu Range. Southwest of Mount Popa is Taung Kalat (pedestal hill), sheer-sided volcanic plug, which rises 737 metres (2,417 ft) above the sea level. A Buddhist monastery is located at the summit of Taung Kalat. At one time, the Buddhist hermit U Khandi maintained the stairway of 777 steps to the summit of Taung Kalat. The Taung Kalat pedestal hill is sometimes itself called Mount Popa and given that Mount Popa is the name of the actual volcano that caused the creation of the volcanic plug, to avoid confusion, the volcano (with its crater blown open on one side) is generally called Taung Ma-gyi (mother hill). The volcanic crater itself is a mile in diameter

A Buddhist monastery is located at the summit of Taung Kalat.

Mount Popa is perhaps best known as a pilgrimage site, with numerous Nat temples and relic sites atop the mountain.

From the top of Taung Kalat one can enjoy a panoramic view.

Mount Popa can be seen from the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River as far away as 60 km in clear weather.

Burmese superstition says that on Mt Popa, one should not wear red or black or green or bring meat, especially pork, as it could offend the resident nats, although Byatta and his brother Byatwi were the only Muslims who had shipwrecked and landed in Burma

Although all 37 Nats of the official pantheon are represented at the shrine on Mt Popa, in fact only four of them - the Mahagiri nats, Byatta and Me Wunna - have their abode here

There are many Burmese myths about the mountain, especially the one that said victory for any man who collected their army on the slopes of the mountain was guaranteed

Buddha images are carved into cliffs above the Ayeyarwaddy River at Akauk Taung (Customs Hill) near Pyay in Bago Region

Ayeyarwaddy River at Akauk Taung (Customs Hill)

Baw Baw Gyi Pagoda

Inwa Bagaya Kyaung, a teak monastery supported by 267 posts

Pindaya View from access to Pindaya Caves

The Pindaya Caves, located next to the town of Pindaya, Shan State, are a Buddhist pilgrimage site and a tourist attraction located on a limestone ridge in the Myelat region.

There are three caves on the ridge which runs north-south, but only the southern cave can be entered and explored. It is not known whether the other two penetrate for any extended distance into the hillside.

its interior contains over 8,000 images of Buddha.

Some of the older statues and images in the cave have inscriptions dating to the late 18th century, or early Konbaung period, and the earliest one dates from 1773. There may be some images without inscriptions that are older, but based on the style elements, Than Tun believes that none of them is older than the early 18th century and even suggests 1750 as the earliest possible date

There is a 15-m (49 ft) pagoda named Shwe U Min (Golden Cave) Pagoda at the entrance to the southernmost cave. Local legend attributes this pagoda as being built by King Asoka and repaired by King Alaungsithu in the 12th century, but this is not corroborated by any other historical source. In its present form and style, it is immediately apparent that the pagoda is of recent origin.

Shwe U min Pagoda, the Pindaya Caves

Hsaungdan (covered stairway) to the Pindaya caves

The modern day entrance dates from 1925 when the entrance to the cave was enlarged by explosives, destroying some valuable images and epigraphs in the process. A steel structure was erected to accommodate the many pilgrims.

Dedication inscriptions from this renovation indicate a wide range of donors, not only from the Theravada community, but also from the Hindu, Chinese and even Muslim communities.

During this renovation, some unique images were removed to a nearby monastery. Unfortunately, these images were destroyed during World War II in a bombing raid.

An elevator was added in more recent times.

The Pindaya Caves,Hsaungdan (covered stairway) to the caves

Burma is the land of golden pagodas….

Text and pictures: InternetCopyright: All the images belong to their authors

Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu www.slideshare.net/michaelasanda

Sound: Yatanarbon Mandalay – Yatanarbon