Culture of Myanmar can be classified into four parts. They are Dance of Myanmar, Music of Myanmar, Food of Myanmar and The Art of Myanmar.
Anyeint, as it is popularly known is the most popular dance form of Myanmar. The word Anyeint means .softness., .suppleness., .grace. and .harmony.. It is a very soothing combination of music, singing and dancing. Anyeint is the most popular dance form of Myanmar since the royal days. When the royal throne ruled Myanmar, this dance was limited only within the courts to entertain the monarch and the royal guests. But after the abolition of monarch in 1885 by the British, this dance form became open to the ordinary people and gradually gained immense popularity. Everybody, right from the government civil servants to middle class people have accepted Anyeint because of several reasons. It is less expensive to perform, has no time limit and so go on for the whole night in the wedding parties, has accepted Western music and dance without losing its traditional character are some of the causes of its popularity.
It is said that Prome dynasty, who ruled Myanmar about 1st Century AD came from India and left a mark on the local music. Another Myanmar king conquered Ayuddaya located in Thailand. Music came from there also. Thus, music is influenced by India and Thailand. After that Myanmar was under British rule for many years. So, it can be seen that many countries have influenced music of Myanmar. Thus there are many types of tune and instruments played in different regions of Myanmar.
People of Myanmar begin their day with breakfast served with a noodle soup which has a flavor of coconut added to it. They prefer to have boiled rice with meat or fish or vegetables. Fruits, which are available in plenty, are various types of types of bananas and coconuts, custard apple, the durian and the mangoes teen. Green tea is very popular and drunk all day. Indian and Chinese restaurants are very popular among the outside eateries in Myanmar.
Only two aspects of society are linked with the art of Myanmar. They are, the religion and the royalty of Burma. So, any form of architecture has found expression in three ways- temples, pagodas and palaces. Though 85% of the population follows Theravada Buddhism, it is still not the official state religion. There are some Muslims adjoining the Bangladesh border and the people staying in the hill areas are mostly Christian missionaries.
Burmese is the main language spoken and it has got its own script and alphabets. It is better to master the numerals before making a trip to Myanmar, as it will help to read the bus numbers. A few old Burmese speak English.