When coming to visit any country in the world, tourists must learn the basic knowledge about the cultural behaviors of that country to make their trip more comfortable and interesting. Myanmar people are very religious and they respect religious works. Therefore, coming to Myanmar adventure tours, visitors should pay attention to certain rules when visiting the pagodas in this country.
Take off your shoes
Normally, you have to take off your shoes and socks right from the pagoda gate, except for some places allowing visitors to do that when they have got to the door. To make your holidays to Myanmar memorable, you should always remember this note. In the time when Myanmar was still a colony of English, Burmese people were indignant when the English went to their pagodas without putting off their shoes. It can be said that this custom was one of the motivations for the Burmese successful revolution and independence.
The similar rule is also applied in churches, but some places still allow visitors not to walk barefoot. It is recommended to observe the local people and imitate them.
Dress politely
When going to pagodas, temples or churches, you should not wear shorts, sleeveless T-shirts, tank tops or unsuitable clothes when going to the religious sacred areas of the Burmese. This rule is applied for both men and women in Myanmar adventure tours. Women are supposed not to wear skirts (which are shorter than their knees), leggings or clothes which show too much of cleavage.
Do not make noise
Coming to religious constructions, tourists should avoid making a big noise, yelling, screaming and laughing aloud. At Shwedagon Pagoda, you are not allowed to turn music on in the pagoda’s campus as well as bring musical instruments to the tower.
Avoid annoying others for photographs
Some pagodas or temples require a sum of money when tourists want to take photos, while others entirely do not allow taking photos so that the sacred atmosphere is not affected. And do not let this affect your Myanmar holidays. Therefore, you should pay attention to the signs showing whether you are allowed to take photographs.
Besides, tourists should also avoid inappropriately posing with the images of pagodas and Buddha statues, leaning on or using Buddha statues as properties. Monks dislike being taken photos, so you should ask for their permission if you want to do that.
Do not turn your back to Buddha statues
If you want to sit for some rest, remember not to turn your back to the Buddha statues because this action is considered disrespectful to the religion of the Burmese. As pagodas are always on the list of best places to visit in Myanmar, you should always show respect to Buddha.
In addition, when sitting on the ground, you should also pay attention to your feet. Do not stretch your legs with your feet toward statues or towers.
Show respect to the monks
People who lead a religious life in Myanmar are really respected here. Tourists should not try to shake their hands. Women need to avoid touching them. When giving presents or sacrifices to the monks, you need to use both hands, stand an appropriate distance away from them so that they can receive the offerings easily. That is kind of complicated, but for enjoyable Myanmar adventure tours, you should keep the advice in mind.
Do not sit in the same or higher position to the monks. If you want to give money, you had better put the cash in an envelope or a wrapped piece of paper before asking the monks to receive it. This Myanmar travel guide is really important to make your trip easy and comfortable with memorable experiences.
Besides, it is better not to step on the shades of the monks when they are standing, especially on the head part. This is considered disrespectful to them, even when you are not on purpose.
It seemed to be so many to remember and pay attention to when you choose a pagoda to visit in Myanmar adventure tours. However, coming to a religious country like Myanmar, knowing the basic rules is always better for making your trip more convenient. Furthermore, complying with all of them, you can totally enjoy the interesting experiences about these impressive Burmese sacred constructional works.
