Yadaya (Burmese:ယတြာ,IPA:[jɛ̀dəjà]; fromSanskrityātra; variously speltyadayar andyedaya) refers tosuperstitiousmagical rituals done to delay, neutralize or prevent misfortune, widely practiced inMyanmar (Burma). These rituals, which originate fromBrahmanism, are guided and prescribed by soothsayers and astrologers, who use a combination of mathematical equations and astrology to formulate a "prescription" to avert misfortune.[1] Modern Burmese leaders, includingU Nu,Ne Win,Than Shwe,Min Aung Hlaing, and many government policy decisions are widely understood to have been influenced by yadaya rituals.[2][3] AmongBurmese Buddhists, yadaya is often linked to merit-making, as some prescriptive rituals involve seemingly "Buddhist" acts, although they are done to bypasskarmic fate, which cannot be altered by ritual in Buddhist doctrine.[4] Yadaya is closely associated tonumerology, particularly the number nine, which is widely believed to be an auspicious number. Some scholars contend that yadaya originates to thePagan period, first practiced by monks of theAri sect, a form of Buddhism that predates the introduction ofTheravada Buddhism in Burma.[5]
One notable form of yadaya is the construction ofpagodas, as seen in the construction of 60,000 pagodas byU Nu in 1961.[6] The government's unexplained decision to change the road traffic in 1970 toright-hand traffic (even though the overwhelming majority of Burmese cars are made for left-hand traffic) is one such incident believed to be the result of yadaya, to avert the threat of a political attack from the right and insurgency.[7][8]
In 2009, the military regime began printing 5000Myanmar kyat banknotes that feature an image of awhite elephant, interpreted as an act of yadaya.[9]
More recently, the unusual clothing choices, namely the wearing of traditional femaleacheik-patternedlongyi (sarongs) byThan Shwe and other military generals at recent public appearances, includingUnion Day celebrations in February 2011 and at the reception of the Lao Prime MinisterBouasone Bouphavanh in June 2011 have also been attributed to yadaya, as a way to divert power to neutralizeAung San Suu Kyi's power.[10][11]