Nat
The Burmese spirit lords honoured beside Buddhism, who speak through mediums at festivals such as Taungbyone.
Also: nats, thirty-seven nats, nat kadaw, nat pwe
Nat is the Burmese word for a spirit being, and the Thirty-Seven Nats are a set of figures, many of them said to have been people who died violent or unjust deaths. Tradition holds that King Anawrahta of Bagan in the eleventh century folded them into royal religion, though the details are disputed. Each nat has a story, a day and a shrine, and honouring them is thought to bring protection. A nat kadaw, spirit wife, is a medium, often a woman or a gay or transgender man, who dances at a nat pwe, a spirit festival, and is believed to host the nat. The Taungbyone festival near Mandalay is a major gathering. Many Buddhist monks tolerate the nats without joining in.