In Myanmar, don’t be surprised if you hear that someone is born in the year of the “wonderful winged bird”, because unlike the Chinese zodiac, there are only 8 zodiac signs in Myanmar, and the contents are different. What's even more interesting is that each person's zodiac sign is determined by the day of the week he was born.
Closely related to the astrology
To talk about the Myanmar zodiac, we must first start with the astrology of Myanmar. The Myanmar calendar has its own unique names for the days of the week, and these names are closely related to the astrology. For example, Sunday is called Sunday, Monday is called Moon... The special thing is that Wednesday is divided into two half-days by the Burmese people. The morning is called "Shui Yao" and the afternoon is called "Rahu Yao". Among them, "Rahu" is a demon in ancient Indian legends who robs the light of the sun and moon and creates solar and lunar eclipses.
It is precisely because of these 8 "astrological days" that the 8 zodiac signs of Myanmar are correspondingly produced. The eight zodiac signs are: Monday belongs to tiger, Tuesday belongs to lion, Wednesday morning belongs to elephant, Wednesday afternoon belongs to Tuskless Elephant, Thursday belongs to rat, Friday belongs to guinea pig, Saturday belongs to dragon, and Sunday belongs to Wonder-winged Bird. Burmese people can determine their zodiac sign based on the day of the week they were born.
The names should correspond to the zodiac signs
Some of Myanmar’s 8 zodiac animals come from Buddhist scriptures and legends, while others come from real life. For Burmese people, each of them has a special meaning. For example, lions and tigers often appear as protector gods, and we can see their tall and mighty statues (mostly lions) in front of many buildings. In addition, elephants are particularly popular in Myanmar. Myanmar people consider it an auspicious animal, and the white elephant is a sacred symbol. In fact, among these eight zodiac signs, the most special are the other two zodiac signs: "Dragon" and "Wonderful Winged Bird". Speaking of dragons, we naturally think of the image of the majestic Chinese dragon with its fangs and claws. But this "dragon" is not that "dragon". The Burmese dragon is called "Naga". It has no sharp claws and no gorgeous appearance. It looks more like a snake. The wonderful winged bird is also called the Dapeng. It is a legendary divine bird and the natural enemy of the Naga. The two often fight endlessly.
Burmese people do not have surnames, only first names. Names cannot be chosen casually and must correspond to their zodiac sign. People who name children are usually experts in astrology. Someone has made an interesting statistics. Today, the total number of characters commonly used in naming Bamar men and women is less than 100. The Burmese people combined these limited characters with each other to form different names.
Kneel down and worship the Zodiac Tower when celebrating your birthday
Because the zodiac sign is determined according to the day of the week when you are born, theoretically, Burmese people can celebrate a birthday every week. According to the reporter's understanding, although no one really celebrates once a week, the way they celebrate their birthdays is unique.
The complexity of Burmese birthday celebrations depends on personal financial resources. The celebration time is usually before 12 noon. On your birthday, some relatives and friends will come to congratulate you. Traditional Burmese pastries and snacks are usually eaten at the celebration. If possible, families will also commemorate the occasion by donating money, giving alms, chanting sutras, performing rituals, etc.
The famous Yangon Shwedagon Pagoda is located in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. Its main tower is surrounded by 64 small golden pagodas. These small golden pagodas are divided into 8 directions, and different directions represent different zodiac signs. For example, the north of the pagoda represents the tiger, the northeast represents the lion, and the southwest represents the tuskless elephant... On their birthday, Burmese people in Yangon will go to the Shwedagon Pagoda after fasting and bathing, kneel down in front of their zodiac pagoda, and bathe. Buddha, prayer. The so-called bathing of the Buddha means that there is a water tank near each Buddha statue, and a small water cup is placed next to it. The believers pour water from the cup on the Buddha statue to show their piety. It is said that bathing the Buddha is also very particular. At your age, you can only get a few cups of water to bathe the Buddha statue, and you cannot pour it on casually.
However, Myanmar people today have gradually accepted Western-style birthday celebrations. On my birthday, everyone went to the bar to party, give gifts, and eat birthday cake. This type of celebration is becoming increasingly common, especially among young people.