Rosemary Pratt, Marchioness Camden

What people wore

Hybrid fashion emerged in the 1920s

In the 1920s, many urban men and women embraced a hybrid style, combining traditional longyi skirts with Western items like cricket blazers, wristwatches, and high heels.

Getting around

Bullock carts served as rural transport

Burmese people commonly used springless bullock carts on rural tracks, which were often thick with dust during dry weather and turned into deep mud during the rainy season.

At the table

Drinking water and preserved fish practices

Villagers maintained jars of drinking water for wayfarers at roadsides, which people drank using a polished coconut shell cup. Fish was frequently preserved as ngapi, a pungent fermented paste made by pounding fish or shrimp with salt in a mortar.

Music

Musical Instruments and Ensembles

The hsaing waing ensemble, consisting of tuned drums, gongs, a reed aerophone, and percussion, became the standard accompaniment for outdoor dance and theater. Smaller settings, such as homes, featured intimate performances using instruments like the harp and bamboo xylophone.

Daily life

Water sharing and festival customs

Villagers placed jars of drinking water in raised, thatched cupboards called yaiohzin along roadsides to provide refreshing water for travelers, using coconut shells as drinking cups. During the Water Festival at the Buddhist New Year in April, it was a friendly custom to douse neighbors and passers-by with bowls of water as a compliment.

What it cost

Unskilled factory worker monthly wages

Prior to the 1930s, unskilled labourers working regularly in factories typically earned about 25 rupees per month.