The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-11
BURMAH'S PHOONGYEE BYAN.
Queer Burial Ceremonies Where Every Ono
Gets Drunk and Fights.

"Phoongyee Byan" corresponds to an
Irish wake. The Gilded coffin containing the
body OF the deceased phoongyee tpriestl in lay
crS Of pulverzed charcoal is placed with great
deal of pomp and much circumstance on
platform twenty-five feet above the ground in
the centre of large rectangle in some open
space near the village. In Snbyugyun the bed
Of the brook. west Of the village, serves this
purpose eXCcllently. Later on tho people
drink the water Of the brook. This platform
is OCCUPIED; as long as the show lasts. by young
with faces Enthusiastically rarti-cOlOred They
spend their time bowling. dancing. beating
drums clashinr cymbals. and INDUCING in OBJ
scene tests. bestOwing at intervals most eX-
trayagnnt expressions O: sorrow on the dear
and sacred departed, all with mo more apparent
At one corner Of the rcctange is huge pyre
Of SamHSoi shared Ike pothinG in particular
wallpapers On this the corpse is eventually
cremntcd: III" ashes being collected in an urn
Fy ' Belonged. or, il his rank was s9aciSntly
high, as the foundation for an umbrella tOpped
pngoha Ranged on the four sides of the, rec
the n"ighhorinG villages. The pupils OF each
of these PhoonGyc"s bring ryQthat." tow
a sort of shelf on tn" top to hold n coffin. pre-
sumnbly do honorto tho deceased A almost
k" degree Of the S prSs tie ' argeF the
The tabootS are q different shapes, some Ike
elephants, Others like Cinnamon. One enter
prisng village furnished II BurmaniHcd ver-
sion OF an English lady not forgetting the sun
what they resolve themselves into-was u chin.
Al made with little shelf To hold the coffin.
| suppose, occupies shed on the side Of the
r""tnngl" opposite the pvro. Al q given signal.
III" beat OF il deep-toncd gong. the taboots are
brought one hy one from their places to the
she'd uf the Phoongy"" Byan president. having
taken on its way the coffin from the platform
che coffin being more or less securely fastened
f" the "rvathats' Imqy add that the villagers
who carry the "pyathat~" generally form
themselves into a band Of dNncers called a
,Ano.t every one in Burmqh is familiar with
the cont9rions Of hand and body that consti
with n description of ia" details ot the " hans"
h"y3n! mentioning that ono batch are. known
han, the poe th dnw ham. and So on. Well.
arrived at tn" principal shed, tn" band of
that" and begin a ornsnous dane" to n chorus
that goes with Il lit, andls simply irresistible to
tho gay i}urmar, tn" coiIl@ meanwhile being
hustled in its perch as tho bearers sway
t. and fro u wild rhythm to the weird music.
After al the "pyathnts" havo had their turn.
the, body Is taken nut Of the coffin and burned,
and every one goes home lovlaIly drunk. do
other parts Of lmrmah but this IL how i see
fire." lights, ending in broken heads took place
,%m@ ysS rvnry M Inc E E5m There
IN" first time | -Hwa hyan here thought
It mtcreStpGly savage; III" second was savage
'
dust and drunknrds !u not form II combination
with suncieul attractions for M. Tn" town
shin officer, NJ ~ Than was very much in
evidence during the, proceedings, and has
out Of the melee scot free from "dok"s" and
'dahs' | should reckon, the police were
enough l." keep order. but they them
selves n""drd 10 b" kept in order, as
nc majority, Of them w"r" as drunk rs
i"ll foul of Il "wathat," and almost
RULED it to hits. to- the rage Of the rhoongyee
proprietor. who could not understand N" on
SluUEht, ~ his uul!.S w"r" going along prarc-
ably enough. Why viii the l,ulicr get drunk
ON III" few o""nsuuS o. which they ar" called
tnr,r lnihrse iuugl"~ II q prot"rUHturaly sober
Policeman staggering along with n hupclcssly
drunken NIuAGar al tn" end Oi "A chain has
always seemed 10 me the best practical Illus
tratlon of the figure OF speech known as
irony"