Photos: Beloved sons turn monks in Thailand following Siddhartha’s footsteps

Dressed in neon pinks and greens for the most important day of their short lives, nearly 50 boys advance on their fathers’ shoulders, sheltered by golden umbrellas, to the beat of drums, cymbals and gongs. The event, an initiation as Buddhist novices is a rite of passage emulating the Buddha’s renunciation, the highlight of the annual Poy Sang Long. The boys' ordination brings honour to families, and the event runs during the dry season before the traditional Thai New Year, when most people are home for the holiday and children on a school break.

Updated on: Apr 28, 2018 1:52 PM IST

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Golden umbrellas draped in beads and flowers provide shade for boys as young as seven riding on their fathers’ shoulders in a procession through the mountain town of Mae Hong Son on Thailand’s northern border. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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Dressed in clothes dominated by neon pinks and greens with elaborate headgear, their lips and cheeks brightly rouged for the most important day of their short lives, about 50 boys advanced to the lively beat of drums, cymbals and gongs. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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The rite of Poy Sang Long, represents the early childhood of the founder of Buddhism, Siddharta Gautama, who was born a prince about 2,600 years ago. To fulfil the dream of a son’s participation in the event, parents willingly scrimp for a long time, others accept donations, and the poorest may even send offspring to live with wealthier families. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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Siddhartha is said to have given up a life of royal splendour to live as a holy man after witnessing sickness and death outside the palace. For these ‘beloved princes’ of ethnic Shan families, the ceremony runs through several stages, beginning with the shaving of their heads, the shorn hair wrapped in lotus leaves by their mothers and saved as a keepsake. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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The boys are then bathed with scented water. The event is a rite of passage to initiate the boys as Buddhist novices, the highlight of an annual celebration by the Shan ethnic group that lives mainly in neighbouring Myanmar, but is also spread through China, Laos and Thailand. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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They dress in white and have patterns drawn on their faces and heads with a yellow cosmetic paste made from ground-up thanaka bark thought to have protective properties. The ordination is thought to bring honour to their families, and the event runs for a week during the dry season before the traditional Thai New Year, when most villagers are home children are on a school break. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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Phuwadol Kong Tawan (L), 11, Gorsak Kong Tawan (C), 13, and Danusorn Sdisaithaworn, 10, pray for a merchant at a market while being carried on shoulders during the annual Poy Sang Long celebration. From this stage until the end of the festival, the boys are believed to have acquired semi-divine status, and are not allowed to touch the ground. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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Danusorn Sdisaithaworn (L), Gorsak Kong Tawan and Phuwadol Kong Tawan have lunch after praying in a house of a relative. The parade takes place the next day, preceding a more contemplative period on the third day, when the boys visit relatives’ homes to pray for their families. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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Boys prepare their novice robes at Wat Klang Thung temple where they temporarily live after the week is up, for one or two months during school holidays, studying Buddhist scripture. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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“I like having my head shaved,” said August, a smiling 8-year-old clad in red and gold, with an ornate hat that featured flowers and diamante trim, as he described his favourite part of the rite. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)

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“When I saw my friends doing this, I decided to become a novice. I want to be the Buddha’s representative. I want to be a good person,” August said. (Jorge Silva / REUTERS)