Expat Community > Myanmar

drand10
Joined 2002
Posts: 13

traditions of marriage to Burmese lady

22 years ago

I'm american..and I met a beautiful Burmese lady while I was in Guam. She was seeking political assylum in the US. She's now in the US and we are considering marriage.

Question - Can anyone tell me what the traditions are of the Burmese people when it comes to marriage ? She's Kachin, Catholic..and lives far north in Burma.

I'm told that first I need her parent's consent...and then its considered proper to pay a duty to the parents. I was told that its customary to give a cow, eggs, and a knife to the family !! Now...I gotta tell ya.this is new to me. I'm going to see her parents in a month. Im sure it will be different. I'm considering asking her parents for permission for marriage to their daughter.

Obviously I can give cash easy....and take good care of the family but I also don't want to insult them either. If a cow, eggs and a knife are customary..the so be it. I wanna make sure I do this right and at the same time make sure they are taken care of.

Any input from anyone ??

David

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