Burmese Cultural Things – Hti, Dagun, Malei Bwa, Yat (Junior Win)

On the pagoda platform, Buddhists are buying flowers and leaves, and also buying candles, coloured flags and streamers to offer at the foot of the pagoda in honour of the stupa where Buddha’s relics are enshrined. Such things are very colourful, and have full of meanings to Burmese Buddhists. Some are easy to explain;

‘Dagun pennant’ (a kind of paper flag) (Banner Post) which gives the one success, ‘Hti’ (looks like a holy umbrella made of paper) which gives the one safety and to gain power, ‘Malei Bwa’ (a kind of paper streamer designed like a flowers) which gives the one wealth, ‘Yat’ (a kind of paper fan) which gives the one tranquility and peace. Some papers are yellow (goldenish), some are silver or some are of various colors as they wished (according to their astrologers). A pilgrim can choose what color he or she likes. All are meaningful to Myanmar Buddhists, because ‘yellow’ means ‘to gain gold’, ‘silver’ means ‘to have money’, etc


(Beautiful Htis with various colors. Each color represents each seven-day-born.)


(Dagun, Malei Bwa, Yat)