Is Myanmar's zodiac different from China's?

In Myanmar, you should not be surprised to hear that some people belong to the "myriad-winged bird" because, unlike the Chinese zodiac, there are only 8 different zodiac signs in Myanmar and they are all different. What's more interesting is that each person's genus is determined by the day of the week he was born.

Strongly related to the astrological signs

To talk about the Burmese zodiac, we must first start with the Burmese astrological signs. The Burmese calendar has its own unique names for the days of the week, and these names are very much related to astrology. For example, Sunday is called Sunday (日曜日), Monday is called Monday (月曜日), and Wednesday (星期三), which the Burmese divide into two half-days, with the morning being called Water (水曜日) and the afternoon being called Rohu (羅睺曜日). The morning is called "Shui (水曜日)" and the afternoon is called "Luohu (羅睺曜). The "Rahu" is a demon in ancient Indian legend that robs the sun and the moon of their light and creates solar and lunar eclipses.

It is because of these 8 "astrological days" that the 8 phases of Myanmar are created. The 8 astrological signs are: Tiger on Monday, Lion on Tuesday, Elephant on Wednesday morning, Tuskless Elephant on Wednesday afternoon, Rat on Thursday, Guinea Pig on Friday, Dragon on Saturday and Myawngbird on Sunday. Depending on what day of the week they were born, Burmese people can determine what genus they are.

Names should correspond to phases

Myanmar's eight animal phases come from Buddhist scriptures and legends, and some from real life. For the Burmese, each of them has a special meaning. For example, lions and tigers are often seen as protectors, and we can see them in front of many buildings (mostly lions). In addition, elephants are particularly popular in Myanmar, where they are considered auspicious animals and white elephants are sacred symbols. In fact, the most special of the 8 phyla are the other two: the Dragon and the Myawi. When we think of dragons, we naturally think of the Chinese dragon with its powerful, clawing teeth. But this dragon is not the same as the other dragon. The Burmese dragon is called the Naga. It doesn't have sharp claws or a flashy appearance, but looks more like a snake. The Myawing Bird, also known as the Roc Bird, is a legendary bird of prey and the natural enemy of the Naga, and the two are often at loggerheads.

The Burmese do not have surnames, only first names, which are not arbitrary, but correspond to their own genus. The people who name their children are usually astrologers and soothsayers. Some people have done an interesting statistics, today's Burmese men and women to name commonly used words, the total number of less than 100. The Burmese then combine these limited words with each other to form different names.

Kneeling at the Genus Pagoda on birthdays

Precisely because the genus is based on the day of the week in which one is born, the Burmese theoretically get to celebrate their birthday once every week. According to this reporter, while no one really celebrates once a week, they do it in a different way.

The complexity of a Burmese birthday celebration is determined by one's financial resources, and the celebration time is usually before 12 noon. On the day of the birthday, a number of friends and relatives will come to congratulate you. Traditional Burmese cakes and snacks are usually eaten at the celebration, and those who have the means to do so will also honor the occasion by making donations, giving alms, reciting Buddhist scriptures, and performing puja.

The famous Yangon Pagoda is located in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and its main pagoda is surrounded by 64 smaller pagodas. These small pagodas are divided into 8 directions, with different directions representing different zodiac signs. For example, the due north of the pagoda represents the tiger, the northeast represents the lion, and the southwest represents the tuskless elephant....... On their birthdays, Burmese in Yangon will go to the big pagoda after fasting and bathing to kneel, bathe in the Buddha, and pray in front of the pagoda of their own genus. The so-called bathing Buddha means that near each Buddha statue there is a water tank with a small cup of water next to it, and devotees show their devotion by drenching the statue with water from the cup. It is said that bathing Buddha is also a delicate matter, you have a few years can only hit a few cups of water to bathe the statue of Buddha, rather than just pouring it on.

But today's Burmese are also embracing Western-style birthday celebrations. On birthdays, everyone goes to a bar to party, give gifts and eat birthday cake. This type of celebration is becoming more common, especially among young people.