BURMA AND THE BURMESE 10
A 19th century description of Burma, Burmese culture and Burmese customs

BURMA AND THE BURMESE 10

an innocent flirtation with most of their male customers. They marry young, but the wedding is not a religious ceremony. When a woman marries she does not take the name of her husband but retains her maiden name; nor are the children born of the marriage named after either of. their parents. This arrangement is at first rather puzzling to Europeans, for in a small family of husband and wife, son and daughter, the names may be respectively Moung Goon, Mah Thin, Nga Po Toke, Mah Shway O. In a large family the variety of names is, of course, both great and confusing. The women, unfortunately, do not retain their good looks long after being married, certain barbarous customs in connection with their accouchement rendering them prematurely old. When a child is born, the mother is wrapped up in blankets and placed near a huge fire, where she remains for seven days and seven nights. Considering the intense heat of the country it is a matter for great surprise that the poor women survive the ordeal. In their treatment of their children the Burmese are far ahead of most Asiatic races. They do not destroy any of their infants, and are quite as kind to the girls as they are to the boys. The only

difference they make between them is to give the boys a better education than the girls. Burmese girls have a great liking for Chinamen, and this partiality being cordially reciprocated by the Celestials, a large number of those residing in Burma have Burmese wives. In the majority of cases John Chinaman has a wife in his native land, as well as in Burma, but he is thought none the worse of for that, and when he dies it is generally found that his property in China is left to his Chinese wife, and his property in Burma to his Burmese one. The sons of a Chinaman and a Burmese woman are brought up as Chinamen; the daughters as Burmese. A Burman may lawfully have as many wives as he can keep, but, as a rule, he is satisfied with one. Some people attribute this to a desire to economize, but such can scarcely be the case, for economy is about the last thing which a Burman would think of. The truth is, the women in Burma rule the husbands, who soon recognize the fact that an additional wife would mean a further curtailment of liberty. Should a man tire of his wife and desire a < 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12 > Henry Charles Moore, "Burmese Traits" 1893