The marriage ceremony was modest, though formal.  A few friends and relatives were invited to the bride’s home.  A devout friend, not particularly ordained as a monk, was requested to perform the ceremony. It was carried out with traditional simplicity, by merely joining the couple’s hands, binding them together with a silk scarf.  Bits of food were given to them and they fed each other.

    A beautifully-wrought silver bowl was handed to them from which the couple ate, the sides of which contained some writings, narrating the life of the Buddha. The bowl was to remain with them throughout their life together, as a symbol of the sacredness of their marriage.

    U Tin Maung recited some words of advice on married life, after which the couple made an obeisance before their elders.

    That night, under a bright, full moon, lights and torches illuminated the sky.  Theatrical performances or pwes were staged and there was a great deal of merry-making. 

     Maung Po took his bride to a special pwe, and, together with some of the villagers, visited the monastery where they presented the pongyis or monks with saffron robes, in keeping with the tradition.

     When the couple returned to the bride’s home late that night, a special nuptial room and bed awaited them.

      The newly-weds decided to live with U Tin Maung, while Maung Po brought his ailing sister along to live with them.

       Maung Po sold his farmland and home, investing the paltry sum of money that he had obtained in the improvement of his father-in-law’s farm.  For a while, it was a period of plenty.  Maung Po worked hard in the paddy-field.  Most of the chores were done by him and Ma Hla alone, for U Ting Maung was aging and stricken with debilitating infirmity.

       As for Maung Ba, he was by now more or less detached from any form of agricultural work, concentrating, instead, in politics.  He was away most of the time, either job-hunting or attending regular meetings of activists.  Now that he was captivated by the nationalist movement, he began writing articles and commentaries in a student newspaper, dwelling on topics that served to refuel the need for independence that seemed so remote under the circumstances.

      With the lapse of time, the bright and flaming candle of prosperity began to burn low, as suddenly, the economy began to slide dangerously, aggravated by unemployment and disease.  Farmers began to suffer impoverishment, due to lack of finances.  Consequently, paddy-fields were neglected, devastating the rice economy.

        The nationalists began to complain, and as expected, blamed the colonialists for the depression.

 (to be continued)