Buddhism -- Burma; Burma -- Religion; Burma -- Social life and customs
There is in front of every house a veranda, raised perhaps three feet
from the ground, and there the girl will sit in the shadow of the eaves,
sometimes with a friend, but usually alone; and her suitors will come
and stand by the veranda, and talk softly in little broken sentences, as
lovers do. There maybe be many young men come, one by one, if they mean
business, with a friend if it be merely a visit of courtesy. And the
girl will receive them all, and will talk to them all; will laugh with a
little humorous knowledge of each man's peculiarities; and she may give
them cheroots, of her own making; and, for one perhaps, for one, she
will light the cheroot herself first, and thus kiss him by proxy.
And is the girl alone? Well, yes. To all intents and purposes she is
alone; but there is always someone near, someone within call, for the
veranda is free to all. She cannot tell who may come, and some men, as
we know, are but wolves in sheep's clothing. Usually marriages are
arranged by the parents. Girls are not very different here to elsewhere;
they are very biddable, and ready to do what their mothers tell them,
ready to believe that it is the best. And so if a lad comes wooing, and
can gain the mother's ear, he can usually win the girl's affection, too;
but I think there are more exceptions here than elsewhere. Girls are
freer; they fall in love of their own accord oftener than elsewhere;
they are very impulsive, full of passion. Love is a very serious matter,
and they are not trained in self-restraint.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account