HINTHADA
1. Archetypal agricultural trading town
2. Commercial hub for the rice trade (Irrawaddy River)
3. Seasonal floods in May - October (wet season).
4. Employment - seasonal (rice transporter, farmer)
more farmers harvesting the rice, some with small tractors but many in the backbreaking traditional way, with small hand-held scythes. Each was paid around $4 for each long day of seasonal work in the fields on land they don't own.
Irrawaddy River provides the lifeblood of the town. Stopping point for the Irrawaddy river boats making their way from Yangon to Mandalay (rice transport)
A market town in Myanmar's Heartland
RELIGION
Over 80% of the 60 million people are Buddhists. The most common Myanmar approach is to try for a better future life by feeding and caring for monks (the sangha), donating to temples and performing regular worship at the local paya (Buddhist monument). These activities are known as "merit making". For the average person, everything evolves around the merit one is able to accumulate through such deeds.
Donations to build the monastery, pagoda
Donations to a village to help them fund a Buddhist celebration
Personal donations - 100 - 200 villages poorest homeless to fund a New Year celebration
Birthday celebrations
Dhana - Poor locals do the deed of dhana, thus acquiring merit. iN THE MORNINGS, ROWS OF MONKS, SOMETIMES NUNS, CARRY BOWLS TO GET OFFERINGS OF RICE AND FOOD. It is not begging. It is a way of letting even poor locals to do the deed of dhana, thus acquiring merit.
MAJOR SOURCE OF MERIT FOR MYANMAR'S BUDDHISTS
Building a paya or monastery or contributing to their upkeep is a major source of merit for Myanmar's Buddhists.
The poorest villager spend a few thousand kyats on GOLD LEAF which can be pressed on a Buddha statue or FLOWERS to adorn a shrine. All these count towards good merit.
Paya. Basically two kinds of paya: the solid, bell-shaped zedi and he hollow square or rectangular pahto. A zedi or stupa contains relics (objects taken from Buddha himself - bone, teeth, hair) or holy materials. Often it is a generic term for stupa, temple or shrine.
Myanmar's monkhood, around 500,000 is collectively known as the sangha. All things possessed by a monk must be offered by the lay community. Possessions include robes, a razor, a cup, a filter (for keeping insects out of drinking water), an umbrella and an alms bowl.
Water Festival, middle of April, 3-day Thingyan (Water Festiveal) starts the Myanmar New Year. On a spiritual level, Thagyamin, the king of the nat (spirit beings) visits the human world to tally his annual record of good deeds and misdeeds humans have performed. Villagers place flowers and sacred leaves in frontr of their homes to welcome the nat.
On the morning of thge 3rd day, Thagyamin departs. This marks the bigging of the new year. Proerly raised young people wash the hair of their elder kin, buddha images are ceremonially washed and hpongyi (monks) are offered appetising alms food.
On a physical level, douse all passers-by... cities have pandia (temporary stages) along main thoroughfares with water barrels to douse passers by. Throwing buckets of water at anyone who venture into the streets including foreigners.
CLIMATE
3 SEASONS. Cool dry Oct to Feb. Hot dry Feb - May. Rainy May to Oct.
DRAINAGE AND SOILS
2 major lakes. Indawgyi Lake in the norther hills runs 15 miles (24 km) for north to south and 8 miles (13 km) from east to west. One of the largest natural inland lakes of S E Asia.
Inle Lake is smaller 14 miles (22 km ) from north to south and 7 miles (11 km) from east to west, on the Shan Plateau. It is fed by dozens of streams.
Half of Myanmar is covered with forests of various types.
PEOPLE. ETHNIC DIVERSITY
135 DISTINCT ETHNIC GROUPS make up 8 official "major national ethnic races". Bamar, Shan, Mon, Kayin (Karen), Kayah, Chin, Kachin and Rakhine are the main ethnic groups. BAMAR, also known as Burman, Burmese make up more than two-thirds of the population. They are devout Theravada Buddhists and believe in older animist beliefs in nat (spirits). Monks are highly respected. Media reports daily on the merit-making of top officials at the country's principal Buddhist places of worship, continuing a tradition of patronage started by Burmese monarchs. The Bamar (Burmese) language is the language of instruction in schools, so most non-Bamar speak Burmese as a second language.
Coming of age (shinbyu) is a major event in Bamar/Buddhist culture with parades around villages and towns for boys about to enter the monasteries as novice monks. Both girls and boys have their ears pierced.
SINGAPORE - 26 SEP 2021: Two ladies in the Kayah dress. Kayah is one of the 8 official ethnic races. The others are Bamar, Shan, Mon, Karen (Kayin), Chin, Kachin and Rakhine.
----------------------------------------
Kalaw, - Trekking from Inle Lake to Kalaw. Scenic ut this trek is more of a cultural or agricultural experience than a nature walk. Bulk of trek passes modern Pa-O and Danu settlements, extensive wheat, rice, tea, potato, sesame and chili plantations and Buddhist temples.
farm worker for land owners
earns US$ 4.00 per day
Seasonal jobs - farm worker
various crops - rice, wheat, sesamine, ground nuts etc.
Dr Tun Thein Aung and Dr Thin Thin Soe
(Royal Asia Veterinary Surgery) family
Free food (dinner) Donation
Lay Tor monastery Hinthada bag of rice, cooking oil, money distributed
Guests are only second to monks when
expensive fishes are offered in meals with few vegetables as meats are expensive.
Rice and cooking oil are
2. Building a bamboo hut. Dr T T Aung donated a roof to complete the building for the couple.
Dr Soe Organise a session for about 200 residents to dine together during the month of Thingyan
One bag of rice, cooking oil and 1000kyats were also distributed to 100 - 200 most needy homeless villagers. The rice was packed by Dr Soe
A volunteer distributes grocery packs to beneficiaries from lower-income families
Dr Soe has meals
Covid-19 swept across the country in 2020, mask mandate left, easing restrictions
Covid-19 twice - getting both the Delta and Omicron variants. Debilitating and depressing disease
Cases could again spike by mid-May
RAVS is a thriving practice under Dr Thein Tun Aung who had worked in veterinary practices in Singapore for over 15 years and is able to communicate well in English. RAVS is considered a top veterinary surgery in Myanmar as Dr Thein performs various types of surgeries not done by the other clinics.
------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.