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THE CELESTIAL RACE

Celestial race

“To be a Bamar is to be a Buddhist.” This proud statement closes the hearts of many Bamar people.

At over 30 million people, the Bamar (also spelled Bhama or Burman) dominate the political, cultural and religious scenes in Myanmar. They see themselves as descendants of the celestial race, the first people who came from heaven to populate the world, and therefore look down on all other ethnic groups.

The Bamar believe that only their form of Buddhism is the true one. People meditate regularly, and their financial giving for religious merit often outweighs all other expenses put together. With this, they hope to be reincarnated into a better existence after their current life ends. Yet alongside routine meditation and financial giving, they consult horoscopes and soothsayers and daily appease the 37 spirits which affect their lives.

Up to the present time, very few Bamar have become Christians. Estimates are about 30,000, or 0.1 percent of the total population.

Prayer Points

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Disclaimer: We've all tried to be as accurate as possible with our information. However, in many areas it is almost impossible to obtain exact figures, as data is often not available or out of date. Where there are mistakes or misrepresentations, we apologize and would be grateful if you could let us know about them.