Our Burmese
traditional food; Htamane feast is either celebrated communally or done in the
private circle of family and friends. It comes, when Tabo-dwa (February), the
eleventh month of Burmese calendar, we have the harvest festival. ‘All the
products of the farm and garden are made into Htamane, a mixture of glutinous
rice, coconut slices, sessamun seeds, peanuts and a generous amount of cooking
oil.’
Our country now
became up-to-date not only in technology, but also in the way of life. I saw
many young people loved to enjoy wearing couple T-shirts, and buying chocolates
to celebrate the Valentine day. Their attachment to western custom was now more
and more large. The shop sold various pairs of interesting things to draw young
couples’ interest. People loved to join this strange custom whether it
concerned them or not.
As Burmese
custom, this seasonal food is reserved for offering to monks and senior
relatives and the household shrine. Burmese Buddhists set aside a portion of
Htamane, however small, for ‘top priorities’. Now I could not help buying chocolate
when I saw at the market. It was very popular this month! I surely thought to
reserve some of it to the household shrine.
Epilogue
The Htamene
(Glutinous Rice); the seasoning food for Tapo-dwe (February) made on the full
moon day of Tapo-dwe, and it was the true eastern food of Burma. The chocolate
was the symbol of Valentine Day happened in the same month; February. Customly
those two foods are now reserved for offering the household shrine. By seeing
such eastern food and western food met in the household shrine, I felt that
‘East is east, and west is west, but now the twain surely met.’
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