Do Burmese celebrate Christmas?

 

As I'm reading about the culture of Myanmar, I've come to realize that while practically the entire world celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ in the form of Christmas Day (although in variety of ways), this Buddhist country seemed a little on the awkward side. So I asked this question: Do Burmese celebrate Christmas? Burmese-Art.com has helped me find some answers: 

...As you all know the traditional Christmas message "Peace to Earth –Goodwill to All", this message is similar to what Buddhist learns who share the common thread of peace, love, kindness to other, care for other. So generally Buddhists celebrate Christmas but not in Christianity way. They have their own way to celebrate Christmas. So Buddhists often see Jesus as an avatar of being blessed to our beloved Earth...

I think it's crazy that the culture of Christmas has become a worldwide event that even non-Christians participate in the spirit of peace, giving, and spending time with family. That is a good thing. Whatever one's religion is, there is always room for the non-secular and just the part where one celebrates humanity in an annual tradition of giving. 

In Myanmar, the concept of peace is ironic sometimes when referring to the political situation. But the Burmese are known for their quiet and reserved culture. We can always say that regardless of one's religion, celebrating peace and goodness is universal. 

Some Burmese vocabulary words to learn:

Peace  ငြိမ်းချမ်းရေး

Love  အချစ်

Prayer  ဆုတောင်းခြင်း

Meditation  ဘာဝနာ

Happiness  ပျော်ရွှင်ပါစေ