YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Brightly dressed boys and girls mounted on horses and carts, accompanied by their guardians, make their way to a Buddhist monastery in southern Myanmar, as they prepare to enter a period of monkhood that can last anywhere between a few days to months.
A novitiation, or “Shinbyu,” ceremony is mostly held in March across the Buddhist-majority country. It is followed by all Myanmar Buddhists and is said to date back more than 2 1/2 millennia, a religious gift given by Buddha to his own son, Rahula.
On Saturday, the colors pink and gold seemed to dominate many of the girls’ intricately tailored dresses, as some smiled widely at the cameras. Adults held colorful umbrellas to shield the young would-be novices from the sun while hundreds lined the streets to watch the procession in Hlegu township, outside the city of Yangon.
Upon arriving at the monastery, their heads will be shaved as they begin their training.
Though most of the Buddhist novices, all under 20, remain nuns and monks for a short period, the ordination is seen as a rite of passage. In addition to learning the basic tenants of their faith, it serves as a sort of spiritual credit for their parents, helping emancipate them from a vicious cycle of rebirth and death.
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