Local Legends
When in a local rural Myanmar village, you won't have to look far to see the signs of local legends and myths. A large part of local legend are the Nats, spirits of nature who act as guardians in return for offerings. Nat shrines are present all around Myanmar includinga at Mount Popa near Bagan. The Myanmar people worship Nats of land, for example a river or hills, or people, for example alcohol. The Yaksha and the Naga are also part of Myanmar folklore. The Yaksha are keepers of treasure and believed to be distant relatives of the elves and dwarves. The Naga however are thought to be a variety of creatures which are not adversed to humans, such as multi-headed snakes which live in wet areas such as rivers.
Lacquerware are objects, such as boxes, bowls and buttons, which are covered in the substance lacquer. The thinner, more flexible objects tend to...
It is a local custom in Myanmar to chew betel nut like someone in the west would chew chewing gum. Within the local markets you may come across a...
When gold is hammered into extremely thin sheets it is referred to as gold leaf. There are many gold leaf beating workshops in Myanmar where...
Cheerot is a local produced low cost cigar of roughly 3.5 to 6.5 inches in length which may last up to half an hour. Cheerot can be made with a...
While you explore Myanmar you will pass many women and children with a yellow-white paste on their faces. This is both a cosmetic and practical...