lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

342RELIGION & BELIEFThose with ageneral fear ofnat will avoid eatingpork, whichis thought to beoffensive to thespirit world.To lure a nat to the pwe takes the work of a spirit medium, or natgadaw(nat t wife), who is either a woman or, more commonly, a maletransvestite who sings and dances to invite specific nat to possess them.The nat also like loud and colourful music, so musicians at a nat pwebang away at full volume on their gongs, drums and xylophones, producingwhat sounds like some ancient form of rock and roll.Every nat pwe is accompanied by a risk that the invited spirit maychoose to enter, not the body of the nat-gadaw, but one of the spectators.One of the most commonly summoned spirits at nat pwe is Ko Gyi Kyaw(Big Brother Kyaw), a drunkard nat who responds to offerings of liquorimbibed by the nat-gadaw. When he enters someone’s body, he’s given tolascivious dancing, so a chance possession by Ko Gyi Kyaw is especiallyembarrassing.Once possessed by a nat, the only way one can be sure the spirit won’treturn again and again is to employ the services of an older Buddhistmonk skilled at exorcism – a process that can take days, if not weeks.Without undergoing such a procedure, anyone who has been spirit possessedmay carry the nat stigma for the rest of their lives. Girls whohave been so entered are considered unmarriageable unless satisfactorilyexorcised.IslamAlthough official statistics say that 4% of Myanmar’s population followIslam, according to a 2006 US government report on religious freedomin Myanmar, local Muslim leaders believe the more accurate figure isapproximately 20%. Either way, Muslims have been part of Myanmar’sreligious fabric from at least the 9th century, and possibly as far back asthe 6th century in Rakhaing State.Waves of Indian immigration under British colonial rule boosted thelocal Muslim population. This was slashed during WWII when many Indiansfled the country, and again from the start of military rule in 1962when ethnic Indians were expelled from the army and marginalised insociety.THE POWER OF SUPERSTITIONMen wearing longyi are commonplace in Myanmar. But when Than Shwe and othersenior military figures showed up at a nationally televised ceremony in February 2011wearing decorative acheik, the female version of the sarong-like garment, eyebrowswere raised. A fashion faux pas? Not according to one Yangon-based astrologer quotedin Time who claimed the generals were indulging in yadaya: magic. The rumours go thatby wearing the women’s acheik, the generals were hoping either to fulfil a prophesy thata woman would one day rule Myanmar, or cancel out Suu Kyi’s feminine power.Superstitions run deep in Myanmar. Many people consult astrologers to find matesand plan events. According to Benedict Rogers, author of a biography of Than Shwe, theretired senior general has seven personal astrologers at his call, several of whom aretasked with focussing their darker arts on his chief nemesis, Aung San Suu Kyi.On a less dramatic level, Myanmar astrology, based on the Indian system of namingthe zodiacal planets for Hindu deities, continues to be an important factor in decidingproper dates for weddings, funerals, ordinations and other events. Burma became independentat 4.20am on 4 January 1948, per U Nu’s counsel with an astrologer.Numerology plays a similar role with both eight and nine being auspicious numbers.The Burmese word ko (nine) also means ‘to seek protection from the gods’. GeneralNe Win was fascinated with numerology, especially that relating to the cabalistic ritualPaya-kozu (Nine Gods). In 1987 he introduced 45-kyat and 90-kyat notes, because theirdigits’ sum equalled nine.