[1] It is typically accompanied by a slight bow,[2] or more formally, an Añjali Mudrā gesture, wherein the palms are folded together.
The phrase first emerged during British rule in Burma in the 19th to 20th centuries, coined as a Burmese language equivalent to 'hello' or 'how are you.
'[4] In the late 1960s,[5] the Burmese government institutionalized the phrase in the country's educational system.
The first word "mingala" (မင်္ဂလာ) originates from the Pāli term maṅgala, which means auspicious, lucky, prosperous, or festive.
[7] The second word, "ba" (ပါ), is a grammatical particle suffixed to Burmese verbs to denote politeness.