Myanmar’s generals are deeply superstitious

For centuries the Htilominlo Temple in Myanmar has been a site of pilgrimage for would-be rulers. One such excursion took place in the twilight of Myanmar’s democratic era: General Min Aung Hlaing, the army chief, attended a ceremony there in 2020 to venerate the pagoda’s tip—a gilded spire known in Burmese as an “umbrella”, itself a symbol of royal power. Standing beside a Buddhist monk believed to be his astrological adviser, the general sprayed the pagoda with banknotes. A year later he seized power in a coup.