Text/Mu Mu
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When they first arrived in Myanmar, many people were curious that Burmese people actually wore traditional clothes and walked around the street, that is, both men and women, wearing a long skirt that dragged to their heels. This Burmese tunic is called "longgyi", and it is normal for women to wear a skirt, but such a strange costume, worn on men, is very eye-catching.
On the streets of Yangon, several young people wear traditional cage bases
图:La Su / Shutterstock
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Pictured: Charnpui/Shutterstock
Most countries in the world have their own traditional costumes, but in modern society, people rarely wear traditional clothing, or only wear them on special occasions. In Myanmar, however, from peddlers to presidents – almost everyone wears a traditional cage base – which makes people more curious.
Cage-based groups are widely used✦
Cage base is so popular in Myanmar, mainly because of practical and convenient, cage base style is simple, as long as you buy a piece of cloth, sew into a cylinder to become, save a lot of cutting effort, you can sew at home. After sewing, put a set on the body, tie a knot, and put it on. The weather in Myanmar is hot, and wearing a cage base allows air circulation and keeps it cool, and it is even more ventilated than shorts.
In addition, most of Myanmar is rural, people often work in the fields, when wading across the river, as long as you pull up the hem of the cage base slightly, you can wade across the river, do not have to worry about getting wet clothes. And if you want to take a bath in the river, just untie the knot around your waist, pull it up to your armpits, cover your body, you can take a bath, and you don't have to worry about being seen. After taking a shower, put a clean strip from the top, and then pull the wet one off from the bottom, so that there is no need for a locker room.
It's really easy to work through the cage base
Figure: Wikimedia
Photo: Athikhom Saengchai/Shutterstock
Therefore, some Burmese rural people are accustomed to putting a spare cage base on their shoulders when they go out. Passing by the river want to take a bath, jump down to wash it, wash the spare cage base, when it is windy and rainy, you can put it on your body to cover the wind and rain, when the sun is exposed, you can put it on your head as a headscarf, when you sweat, you can also wipe sweat as a towel, when you buy something, you can also tie it into a bag to pack things. In short, a cage base can solve too many problems.
The work was too dry, and the cage base became a turban
Photo: Szefei/Shutterstock
Of course, there are many more uses for the universal cage base, and even, it can be used as a cradle. For many young fathers, taking children is really a terrible thing, with the cage base, it solves a big problem, put the child in the cage base, they can play with the mobile phone, read the newspaper, with the baby entertainment two mistakes.
A baby was placed in the base of his father's cage
Chart: National Geographic
In myanmar, many people make a living by fishing, and fishermen here also use cage bases to make fish pockets. In short, the function of the cage base is only unthinkable, and there is no cage base that cannot be done.
The fisherman makes a fish pocket from the base of the cage
Photo: Photo Network
There is no pocket on the cage base, some people will pull out a pocket on the knot, which contains mobile phones, betel nuts, keys and wallets, while most people will insert mobile phones, umbrellas and other debris directly into the waist cage base. In short, how can the Burmese people get away with such a convenient and versatile cage base?
Really, only you can't think of it
There is no Burmese man who can't do it
Figure: http://www.veroeddy.be
"Bousso" and "Termin"✦
Burmese people have worn cage bases since ancient times, but the ancient cage bases are more complex. In ancient times, cage bases were also divided into men and women, with men wearing them called "psho" and women wearing them called "htmein". Compared with modern cage bases, ancient cage bases are more delicate and ornate, especially the cage bases worn by ancient nobles, usually made of ornate fabrics up to several meters long. At that time, people thought that the more fabric they had, the richer they were.
Traditional costumes in Myanmar in the 19th century:
Women wearing Temin (left)
Man wearing a cloth shuttle (right)
Figure: https://style-review.com
In 1953, when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited Burma
Dressed in ornate Burmese ancient cage bases.
Figure: https://thamine.blog
By the 19th century, Burma had become a British colony, and under the influence of immigrants such as India and Malaysia, the ancient Burmese cage base was improved to have a modern cage base, which began to be widely popular in Myanmar due to its convenience and practicality, and the gorgeous and complicated ancient cage base gradually disappeared.
The modern cage base is very simple, it is sewn from a piece of cloth to make a large cylinder. Wear the cage base without a belt, there is no button on it, just put it on the body and tie a knot. Although both men and women wear cage bases, the way of knotting is different, and the women's cage base is relatively simple, just pull to the side of the waist and tuck the corners into the waist. The man's cage base is tied into a large knot in the front, which requires a certain amount of technique.
Modern men and women wear cage bases differently
Figure: https://mangadejapan.com
The key to the man's cage base is the knot tied in front of the body, after the cage base is put on the body, first use both hands to open the cage base, two hands respectively grasp the left and right two corners, and then pull these two corners to the navel, cross and tighten, and then put the two horns in the hand into the waist, if you are worried about loosening, you can twist a circle more, but the pimples that are pulled out are also larger.
Thankfully I'm not a man series
Figure: https://luxurymyanmarrivercruises.com
Cage base can be arbitrarily matched with tops, coats, T-shirts, short-sleeved shirts, or matching national costumes, depending on personal preferences, as well as different occasions.
Although the cage base is simple in style, but the cloth used is very different, ordinary people wear the cage base, only for comfort and convenience, so most of them use cotton cloth, can be folded at will, and do not affect the work.
The cage base worn by the rich people in Myanmar is more exquisite, generally using the best silk satin, but also with a variety of wavy patterns, Burmese people in the wedding or attend important occasions, will wear a corrugated and shining silk style, looking more gorgeous and beautiful.
Silk cage base worn by the rich
图：OSTILL is Franck Camhi / Shutterstock
Many people are very curious: Do Burmese people wear underwear inside the cage base? This question has attracted countless speculations, but no one is embarrassed to ask.
It is said that foreign tourists who have a good thing have quietly observed the Burmese, and some people have seen the Burmese tidying up the cage base, the cage base slid down to a very low position, and still did not find the shadow of the underwear inside. Others followed them to the bathroom and found that they did not seem to have underwear inside the cage base. Later, some people really couldn't help but ask the Burmese people, and the Burmese people said that they looked at personal habits, some wore them and some did not wear them, or they still did not get an answer.
Presumably, Burmese people only wear underwear on formal occasions, such as when leaders meet foreign guests, or when teachers are lecturing in class, after all, on such occasions, it is too embarrassing if the cage slips off. As for the coachmen and vendors on the street, there is not so much attention, after all, everyone knows that it is cooler without underwear.
Really no panties
Figure: https://www.lkedzierski.com
Then the problem is that the knot on the cage base is alive, and no matter how tight it is tied, the body will loosen as long as it moves, especially the cage base is very wide and has no belt and button. Even if it is a coachman and a hawker, wouldn't it be embarrassing if the cage fell down the street?
So we see that many foreigners come to Myanmar and wear cage bases with customs, but they are cautious, only to accidentally fall off the street. Some of them are timid and even secretly pin a needle to the cage base and fix it firmly.
Cautious foreigners
Figure: https://www.indochinavoyages.com
A foreign volunteer dressed in a cage base sweeps the ground
图：The Irrawaddy - English
Edition / Facebook
Burmese men, however, do not care about this, when they feel that the cage base is loose, whether in front of people or not, they will untie the cage base and re-knot it. On the street, there are often Burmese men walking and suddenly pulling the cage base apart, picking up two horns, and twisting the knot a few times without anyone else.
Seeing this scene often stunned foreign tourists, but the Burmese men did not care at all, as if nothing had happened.
Burmese men tidy up cage bases in the streets
Figure: https://kknews.cc
Even when they are working, they will suddenly stop, and then pull the cage base apart, grab the two corners of the cage base with both hands, quickly pull to the navel, twist left and right, tie a new knot, the whole process is in one go, natural and smooth, and then continue to work.
Burmese people untie the cage as they chat
What's more, while the Burmese were talking to people, they unzipped the cage and sorted it out as they talked. Whenever they see this scene, foreign tourists will turn their faces away and pretend not to see it. In fact, there is no need, this is the habitual action of the Burmese, he himself did not care at all, let alone embarrassment.
People are not embarrassed, so embarrassing is yourself.
Variational wearing method ✦ of the cage base✦
Burmese people wear cage base, not only an ordinary long skirt, it can change a variety of shapes according to the occasion, such as shorts, short skirts and so on. Burmese people wear it conveniently, can play football, run, ride, plough the fields, in short, do not delay anything.
The most common variation in the shape of the cage base is the shorts, when the Burmese man works or exercises, he will twist the hem in front of the cage base and pull it backwards, between the legs, and then tuck it into the back waist, which will transform into a pair of shorts.
The cage base becomes shorts
图:Phuong D. Nguyen / Shutterstock
The shorts made out of this cage base can be applied to a variety of activities, such as when playing, running, or other activities, free to wear.
Burmese turn cage bases into shorts for sports activities
Figure: http://www.cloudisexy.com
You can also kick through the cage base
Figure: https://www.insightguides.com
When farmers are ploughing the fields, because the long skirt is inconvenient, but the activity is not so intense, the cage base becomes a short skirt, which maintains ventilation and does not stain the hem of the cage base.
In the field, the cage base became a short skirt
In addition to shorts and skirts, they can also be turned into raincoats, vests, and even satchels. Someone on Facebook posted a series of pictures that shaped the cage base into a variety of useful items, which is simply amazing.
Long cage base wearing method
Pictured: Facebook
Short cage base wearing method
shorts
blanket
satchel
vest
Cage-based is never outdated✦
With the development of the times, young people in Myanmar began to be uneasy about the monotony of this traditional clothing, and they, like young people in other countries, crave more fashionable outfits, and some young people have begun to wear pants. These seventeen or eighteen-year-olds, who often ride motorcycles, will wear jeans because jeans are more convenient.
However, blatantly wearing pants on the street is still somewhat stressful, because traditional Burmese people believe that people who wear pants are sublime.
Young people started wearing jeans
图：Diego Fiore / Shutterstock
Pictured: CatwalkPhotos/Shutterstock
Until now, white tops with forest green cage bases are still the uniforms of Burmese students, and although some children also like jeans, most children still wear cage bases to school every day because the school educates them: cage ki is part of Myanmar's traditional culture. For Burmese, although times are changing, the traditional cage base is never outdated.
Students wear cage bases to school
Photo: Puyalroyo/Shutterstock
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