Myanmar's National Anthem

During morning assembly, the group of us kept eyeing one another. We just realised that we have not shared Myanmar's National Anthem with all of you yet!

Here are the lyrics and the song:

Burmese Lyrics      
Ga ba ma kyae, myan ma pyi,
Do bo bwa a mwae sit mo chit myat no bae.
Ga ba ma kyae, myan ma pyi,
Do bo bwa a mwae sit mo chit myat no bae.
Pyi daung zu go a thèt pae lo to ka kwè ma
lae,
Da do byae da do myae do paing dae myae.
Do byae do myae a kyo go nyi nya zwa do da
twae
Tan saung ba so lae do da(u) win bay a po tan
myae.

English translation 
Till the end of the world, Myanmar!,
Since she is the true inheritance from our
forefathers, we love and value her.
We will fight and give our lives for the
union

This is the country and land of our own
For her prosperity, we will responsibly
shoulder the task,
Standing as one in duty to our precious
land.

Who's Who in Myanmar Part Two

Hi again! Today we'll be sharing more about Mr. U Thein Sein, who can be viewed as one of Myanmar's heroes. 

2. U Thein Sein was born in 20 April 1945 and he is now 68 years old. He was the president of Myanmar from Mar 2011-2012. He married Daw Khin Khin Win and they have three daughters.

 During his presidency, he set a new governing style by releasing the political prisoners, leaving the election free and fair and opened wider doors for the media and the press to enter Myanmar.

 

We feel that he is such an inspiration and example for everybody to follow. Myanmar really gained a lot under him. 

Who's Who in Myanmar

Famous People In Myanmar !!!
Today we are going to discuss some famous people from Myanmar. Perhaps you already know who they are.

Two people in Myanmar are being known in some parts of the world for their knowledge and their hearts for their people. Both have sacrificed themselves for the people in Myanmar and will do anything for them to lead comfortable lives. The people living in Myanmar are very grateful for their help. They are Aung San Suu Kyi and U Thein Sein.

1.   Aung San Suu Kyi was born in 19 June 1945 and she is now 68 years old. She has two children named Alexander and Kim. She is one of the world's most famous political prisoners who was under house arrest in Burma from 20 July 1989 to 13 November 2010. This was because she spoke out against the dictator, U Ne Win toward achieving democracy and human rights. Aung San Suu Kyi was unable to see her  husband Michael Aris and her two sons during her time in house arrest.

Check out the next post to find out who U Thein Sein is!

International Friendship Day

Hi everyone! Since this is a blog about International Friendship, we decided that we MUST tell you more about International Friendship Day.

All About International Friendship Day
 
International Friendship Day is a day for celebrating friendship. It was celebrated in several southern parts in South America for many years, especially in Paraguay where the first International Friendship Day was proposed in 1958.

International Friendship Day celebrations occur on different dates in different countries. The first World Friendship Day was proposed for 30 July 1958. However, on the 27 April 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared 30 July as the official date of International Friendship Day. Some countries, including India celebrate International Friendship Day on the first Sunday of August. In Oberlin, Ohio, International Friendship Day is celebrated on 8 April every year.

Some friends acknowledge each other with the exchanging of gifts and cards on this day. Friendship bands are very popular in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and some parts of South America.



Certain organisations are dedicated to promoting friendship. The World Friendship Crusade is one example, a foundation that promotes friendship and fellowship among all human beings, regardless of race, colour, language or religion.

What is the importance of International Friendship Day?

It is to recognise our friends and their contribution to our lives. Friendship helps to bring peace and positivity to the globe which is a great reason to celebrate!

Why is International Friendship Day celebrated?

It is a celebration to mark friendships from all over the globe. Celebrated on the 30 July every year, it is to reflect on the friendships that are important to us as individuals, whether they are old school friends, siblings, colleagues or even a pet.

We hope that you have found out more about International Friendship! :) 

Visit to Shwedagon Pagoda

Hi, it's Sharon here. I believe everyone must be eager to find out more about the culture of Myanmar.

My friend, Eingyin, who is now back in Myanmar for the holidays just visited the 2,500 years old Shwedagon Pagoda. Many pagodas can be found in Myanmar and people go there for religious purposes. In fact, there are more than 4 million pagodas in the whole of Myanmar!

The Shwedagon Pagoda enshrines strands of Buddha's hair and other holy relics. Located west of the Royal Lake on the 114 -acre Singuttara Hill in Yangon, Shwedagon Pagoda is the most sacred and impressive Buddhist site for the people of Myanmar. From a humble beginning of 8.2 meters, the Shwedagon Pagoda today stands close to 110 meters. Shwedagon Pagoda is covered with hundreds of gold plates and the top of the stupa is encrusted with 4531 diamonds; the largest of which is a 72 carat diamond.

It is clearly one of the wonders of the religious world. Shwedagon Pagoda represents the best in Myanmar heritage – architecture, sculpture and arts. The Shwedagon Pagoda consists of hundreds of colorful temples, stupas and statues that reflect the architectural era spanning almost a 2,500 years. Once inside this monumental work of art and architecture, visitors can experience the importance of Buddhism to the lives of the Myanmar people.

The top part is all made of necklaces, bracelets, earrings and gold Buda statues like the ones shown on the pictures below:

Shwedagon Pagoda is often crowded with people who do religious as well as community activities – the bustling of devotees and monks washing the statues, offering flowers, worshiping, and meditating.

Here is a video to show some sights of the Shwedagon Pagoda:

Isn't it beautiful? 

Famous Food In Myanmar!!!

HELLO EVERYBODY! 

Today we will be introducing different types of Burmese food. Food is a popular topic in Singapore so I'm sure all of you are excited!

1. Mohiga

Mohiga is a dish consisting of rice vermicelli in fish broth with onions, garlic, ginger, lemon grass. a sliced core of banana-stem with fried fish cake, fritters and boiled eggs.

2. Shwe Yin Ay

Shwe Yin Aye is a very popular and refreshing dessert among the people in Myanmar. The meaning of the name is 'Golden Heart Cool'. The dessert is mixed with agar jelly, tapioca and sago with coconut milk.

Last but not least...(I'm sure you guys are very hungry now...)

3. Laphet

Laphet is a name of a popular snack in Myanmar. You can also call it pickled tea leaves. With only a dash of oil, it can be served with sesame seeds, garlic that is fried as well as roasted peanuts.

Stay tuned for more updates on Burmese culture. :)

Introduction

Hi everyone who is looking at this post! We are a group of students from Damai Secondary School's Girl Guides (Singapore) and we are here to promote international friendship. Our group consists of Daniela, Eingyin, Jade, Jia Qi, Sharon, Shu Yee, Tarini and Zauwiyah. Eingyin and Tarini are currently in their home country, Myanmar and India respectively. This blog will be talking about the culture and religion in Myanmar.

International Friendship is about friendship between peoples, countries, culture, and religion, to make peace between different races and avoid misconceptions of other people's cultures. 

One of the steps taken towards this was the setting up of the organisation known as the United Nations. The United Nations was set up in 1945 when World War II ended. It has always wanted young adults, being future leaders, to have more activities which include the involvement of different cultures to promote international understanding and more respect for diversity.

We will be updating this blog regularly over the year of 2014 and we look forward to sharing more things about international friendship and Myanmar with you! Please do visit another blog also done by us: Colourful India. :)

That's all for now. You will hear more from us soon!