The military retained extensive political power, but opposition leaders were freed from prison and house arrest, and elections were allowed. WHEN DID THINGS CHANGE?Ī little over a decade ago, the country began a stumbling semi-democratic transition. Much of the world showed defiance of the junta by refusing to use the new name. In the Burmese language, “Myanmar” is simply the more formal version of “Burma.” The country’s name was changed only in English. READ MORE: Myanmar army deserters confirm atrocities against RohingyaĪt home, though, it changed nothing. The old name, officials said, excluded the country’s many ethnic minorities. Hoping for a sliver of international legitimacy, it said it was discarding a name handed down from its colonial past and to foster ethnic unity. But in 1989, one year after the ruling junta brutally suppressed a pro-democracy uprising, military leaders suddenly changed its name to Myanmar.īy then, Burma was an international pariah, desperate for any way to improve its image. WHY ARE THERE TWO NAMES FOR ONE COUNTRY?įor generations, the country was called Burma, after the dominant Burman ethnic group. Because when it comes to Myanmar, pretty much everything is political. It claims the takeover was constitutional.īut where exactly did the coup happen? Was it in Myanmar, as the the country is officially called? Or was it in Burma, the name Washington continues to use? The military said the seizure of power was necessary because the government had failed to act on its unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in November elections, which the party of the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, won in a landslide. It could refer to mirror's reflection or reflection of either of the parent.This week, the military upended years of quasi-democratic rule in Myanmar, with soldiers taking control of the country in a carefully orchestrated coup. Name of the bow and arrow wielding son of the conqueror of the king of Gods. Now let’s check out some of the coolest Burmese names for boys and girls in MomJunction’s list below. However, Ma and Maung also happen to be the given names of girls and boys respectively. A girl will be called Ma until she’s twenty and a boy Maung. So don’t be surprised if Sein Tun’s son is named Maung Saw Tin.Īlso, the prefixes can be a bit difficult to understand at first. Neither do Burmese women use the names of their husbands. Also, a Burmese doesn’t hesitate to change his or her name if they’re dodged by ill-health or bad luck.īurmese names may sound a bit confusing to foreign ears because they don’t hand down their family surnames. For instance, a Thursday-born would be given a name beginning with either P, M, or B.
Even certain letters are described to each day. This stems from their belief that human destiny is linked with the stars. One or more of a Burmese person’s name would depict the day he was born. Naturally, parents select names that denote beautiful elements, desirable qualities, or a form of worldly success. Adorned Attraction Auspicious Awesome Best Blue Brave Bright Brilliant Calm Celebration Charitable Charming Chastity Chief Complete Conqueror Consciousness Constant Continuous Cool Cooperative Courage Creation Creative Creator Crystal Cupid Curious Dark Dear Death Decorated Delicate Delight Desire Devotee Direction Divine Dragon Dream Dusky Emotional Enthusiasm Equal Eternal Excellent Expert Fame Famous Father Favour Fearless Firm First Flame Flute Focus Fragrant Freedom Future Gain Generous Gift Glorious Glory Glow Gold Grace Great Green Guru Handsome Helpful Hero High History Holy Honest Honour Horizon Humble Humid Ideal Illuminated Immortal Incarnation Infinite Innocent Intellect Intelligence Kind Knowledge Lamp Leafy Learned Life Lion Luminous Lustrous Matchless Meditation Mercy Modest Mother New Night Noble Paradise Patience Perfect Permanent Philosopher Pink Pious Pleasant Plenty Praise Prayer Precious Priceless Pride Prowess Pure Quick Quiet Radiant Red Respect Restless Rich Righteous Rising Sacred Sage Sandalwood Secret Servant Shadow Sharp Shining Sight Silent Silken Simple Sincere Small Smooth Soft Song Soul Special Speech Stream Success Supreme Surprise Surrender Swift Tender Thirst Thought Treasure Triumph Truth Union Unique Universal Useful Victor Victorious Victory Wave Wealth Welcome White Winner Wish Wolf Worship Youngīurmese is a monosyllabic language, hence every part of their name is a word that can mean one or several things, depending on how it’s pronounced.