Flowers in their hair Shan boys ordained into Buddhist monkhood

Chiang Mai - Dressed in flowers, finery and makeup, scores of boys were paraded around a temple in Thailand after having their heads shaved – a symbolic start to a centuries-old Shan monkhood ordination.

The Buddhist celebration is unique to the Shan people of north-eastern Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of whom have moved to Thailand during their country’s decades of dictatorship and turmoil.

Monks in a ritual shaved more than 40 boys’ heads with razors, tufts of hair falling onto lotus leaves.

In shimmering robes, jewellery and colourful floral headpieces, they were carried around the Ku Tao temple in Chiang Mai three times on relatives’ shoulders, to the rhythmic beat of traditional gongs.

“I’ve made this decision myself... I am glad and happy,” said nine-year-old Donlaphat Lungta, whose parents migrated from Myanmar and was born in Thailand, where the Shan are known as Tai Yai.

The Poy Sang Long tradition, meaning “ordaining beloved sons”, is a vibrant three-day ritual before the boys enter monastic life for between three days and one month – a rite of passage believed to bring merit and good fortune.

“Boys who take part in this tradition are considered students of Buddha. It is a deeply meritorious event,” said Mr Chaiya Kongcheun, president of the Tai Yai Education and Culture Association, which works to preserve Shan culture in Thailand.

The elaborate attire symbolises a prince from Myanmar’s history, he explained, while being carried on someone’s shoulders represents power and a semi-divine status.

For Donlaphat’s father, Mr Nu Lungta, the ceremony was a valuable investment in his son’s future, years after he underwent it himself.

The 40-year-old who works as a vegetable delivery driver estimated his spending on the celebration at 150,000 baht (S$5,900),including food and decorations.

Around 50 of his relatives helped cover the costs,