The Poy Sang Long (Festival of the
Crystal Sons) is a traditional rite of passage held every year among the Shan,
or Tai Yai, people of Myanmar and northern Thailand. The ceremony goes on for three days.
First, the boys’ heads and eyebrows are
shaved by their parents or other relatives.
Then they are made up and dressed in colorful finery, transforming them
into “Jeweled Princes” in imitation of Lord Buddha.
For the next three days the boys are
carried everywhere – they are only allowed to touch the ground inside a temple
or at home.
In the evening the boys are carried by
their fathers or another relative in a traditional dance of celebration.
On the third day the boys are divested
of all their finery and dressed in the simple saffron robes of a Buddhist
monk. They enter the monastery and are
expected to remain there for at least a week, and sometimes they remain for
many years.
It is believed that the boys and their
parents will gain favor from going through this process.
This is one of the most fun and colorful
events I have attended in Thailand.
Blurred photos have been purposefully added to give you a sense of the
dancing.
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| Father and son looking forward to their turn. |
