Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Reported by:

Jose B. Montaño

(Crim. 2-C, Group 6)

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Way of Life

Myanmar civilization is largelyan outgrowth of Indianinfluences. For the majority ofMyanmar’s population,Buddhism is the center ofindividual life and the monastery

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

(pongyi kyaung) is the center ofthe community. This is especiallytrue in the villages, where mostof the population lives. Wisdomis believed to reside at thepongyi kyaung and refuge maybe sought there. A rite of

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

passage for every adolescentboy is the shinphyu, in which theboy briefly relives the princelylife of Gautama, who becamethe Buddha, and enters into thelife of the monastery as a novicemonk. At any later time in life he

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

may return to the monastic lifefor a longer or shorter period oftime. If married, he should askhis wife’s permission to do this.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

The daily life of the villagebegins with the pongyis (monks)making their rounds in themorning with their beggingbowls. By donating that day’sfood, the villagers earn merit,and the monks, who are

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

forbidden to work, arenourished. The annual cycle oflife follows the seasons, with allhands put to work for riceplanting when the summermonsoon brings the first rains.The time during the three

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

months of the most intensiverain is the Buddhist lent, whensuch activities as marriage andhunting are put off, but natfestivals can be enjoyed. Harvestin the fall is again a busy time,followed by the cooler season

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

when the traditional form ofentertainment is the pwe, a typeof folk opera. In the eveningsduring this season, a crowdgathers on the grounds of atemple to watch the pwe inwhich dancers retell tales of

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

royal times in Myanmar orpresent such Indian epics as theRamayana. Dramatic music anddance alternate with bawdy skitsby clowns, who often includepolitical satire in their acts. In

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

the towns, movies, particularlyforeign feature films, arepopular.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

The Myanmar orchestra thataccompanies the theatricalperformances in a pwe consistsof a bamboo xylophone, tallbamboo clappers, many kinds oftuned gongs, a small pair ofcymbals to keep time, and the

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

hne, a six-reeded oboe thatcarries the theme. The hnemimics the sound of the humanvoice speaking in the tonalBurmese language. In cities andtowns music is piped into thestreets for the public’s benefit

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

through loudspeakers located intea shops, and video cassetterecorders bring cosmopolitanmusical culture to even thesmallest settlements.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

The core of the Myanmar diet isboiled rice, combined with alittle spicy meat or fish and somevegetables. Also popular forbreakfast is a hot noodle soupflavored with coconut. A favoritesauce is ngapi, which is made

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

from fermented fish or prawnsand gives off a pungent odor.Several varieties of bananasalong with coconut are the mainfruits, while a wide variety ofmore exotic fruits are alsoenjoyed, such as the

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

mangosteen, the custard apple,and the durian. The commondrink is weak green tea, which istaken tepid throughout the dayin small cups.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

A typical gesture of hospitality inMyanmar is to offer guests thematerials and equipment formaking a chew of betel. Thischemical combination of achopped areca nut with lime andspices, all wrapped in a betel

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

leaf, cleans the mouth, sweetensthe breath, and settles thestomach. Locally rolled cigars,called cheroots, are smoked byyoung and old, male and female.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

A popular form of recreation istraveling by bus or oxcart to visita notable pagoda or attend afestival. Soccer is a prominentsport, even during heavy rains;kites are flown in season; and afrequent occurrence on any day

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

is a local game of chinlon, inwhich a small circle of menkeeps a ball of woven cane up inthe air with gentle blows fromthe foot, knee, shoulder, orhead. Golf is particularly favoredamong military leaders.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Social Problems

Myanmar is poor by Asianstandards, and consequentlysuffers from a number of socialproblems. Inflation in the pricesof consumer goods has been acontinuing problem, particularly

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

for poorer people in the cities.Since a large number of youngwomen in the border areas havebeen drawn into prostitution inThailand, acquiredimmunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS) has become a large-scale

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

problem. For much of the periodsince World War II (1939-1945),poverty along with theconditions of political unresthave kept the population growthrate quite low, lower even thanin neighboring Thailand, which

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

boasts a successful family-planning program.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Culture

The major population groups inMyanmar migrated into theIrrawaddy River Valley from thenorth, bringing their spokenlanguages, their gender roles,and several varieties of food and

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

medicine. From India on thewest came the institutions ofreligion and government, butwithout the Indian caste systemof social hierarchy. India was alsothe source of Pali, the sacredlanguage, and of the devanagari

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

script in which the popularlanguage is written, along withastrology and some kinds offood. The firm grounding ofBuddhism in Myanmar culturecontributed over the years to thebuilding of many pagodas

Political Setting:

Myanmar

(towering temples) throughoutMyanmar.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Source:

Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft

Corporation. All rights reserved.

Socio-Cultural Setting:

Myanmar

Jeesuutin Baadae!!!

Socio-Cultural Setting

as we

Understanding

Socio-Cultural

Communityfor

establish a

Republic of the Philippines

CAPIZ STATE UNIVERSITY

Dumarao Satellite College, Dumarao, Capiz

Theme: “Understanding Better the Political, Economic & Socio-Cultural

Settings of Southeast Asian Nations forPeace, Prosperity & People”

May 25, 2015 (8:00-11:30 am)

Campus Library