Poy Sang Long - Thailand

Poy Sang Long is a Shan rite of passage ceremony undergone by boys between the ages of seven and fourteen. It involves taking monastic vows and participating in the life of the monastery for a period that can vary from a week to several months or more. Usually a large group of boys are ordained as novices at the same time. The ceremony continues for three days. during which the boys dressed as princes (in imitation of Gautama Buddha, who was himself a prince before setting out on the religious path) spend the entire time carried on the shoulders of their older male relatives. On the third day, they are ordained, and enter the monastery for a period of at least a week... In Chiang Mai, in the city, the ceremony is held at Wat Ku Tao.