#  >  > Thailand Festivals, Beaches, Scuba Diving and Temples, Tell us Your Tales >  >  > Thailands Wats Temples and Mosques >  >  Northern Monk Initiation

## stroller

Our neighbour's son is preparing for his time as a monk in the village temple. This is a rite of passage for the male population, to learn about the Buddhist teachings, and make merit for the parents.

The entire village participates in the 3-days event, and friends and relatives travel for the occasion at the host's expense.

It starts with putting up tables and tents, and of course food being prepared, which is an ongoing task for the women over the 3 days:

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## stroller

A fish curry and sticky rice for the kitchen workers:

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Chairs and stuff delivered:

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The guys cook up some sweet 'cake', made with rice, cane-sugar and coconut:

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Served the traditional way:

Washed down with a drop of rice-whiskey:

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Cleaning the pot:

..and on with the next delicacies:

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The old geezers are carving ornaments from banana-wood:

The Thai way - one is on the job, 3 or 4 watch...

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## stroller

Meanwhile, the women are doing the more demanding cooking:





Washing green Mango shreds to make them less sour for the curry:

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The men are getting a couple of pigs for the slaughter:

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## YellowTrip

Nice photo essay Stroller.

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## stroller

On with the slaughter:

Shaving the pig, everything will end up on the table, except the hair and the teeth:

20 minutes later:

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## stroller

The gall bladder has been skillfully seperated and the content adds that extra ummpf to the rice-whisky now:

Some parts being cleaned:

The butcher crew have first pickings:

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## Marmite the Dog

> The butcher crew have first pickings:


Always a relief that Asians like to eat the crap, so we can savour the good bits. 

I have a feeling they say the same about us honkeys.  :Smile:

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## stroller

One of many little good luck rituals which are to take place, for the parents:

This one involves feeding bananas to the obator and grandparents:







These pics would be perfect for a gif-slideshow!

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## stroller

After a hard days work, it's time to switch on the karaoke, relax and celebrate:



Gaing Hunglay:

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## stroller



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## stroller

The aspiring talent on stage, our local yabba-heads twin daughters and friend:

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## stroller

Day 2 kicks in with some strange whining noises and instrument tuning as I am cooking my breakfast.
The "Sor" ensemble has arrived. Sor is traditional improvised music:

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The lyrics are a mix of folklore, well-wishes and local gossip. People put forward names of relatives, alive or deceased with requests:

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## stroller

The dog seems to like the music, too:

The monotonous drone carries on for hours, creating a timewarp in which forms are dissolved into a lower Buddhist heaven of sound and colours.

Now lets see if this gif works:

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## stroller

Nope, what have I done wrong? :Sad: 

Nah, it moves, I think the delay is very slow, or is it my slow connection?

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## dirtydog

about 1 second each frame.

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## stroller

It works fine now, just had to go and make myself a cup of tea to allow for it to load.
OK, next one, pic quality is somewhat compromised:

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## stroller

I should mention there is a sort of on-stage massage sevice as well. Who said life in the Moo-Ban is boring?

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## dirtydog

They got some real freaky Thais down your way stroller, look at the guy above wearing socks and flip flops, bloody weirdo  :Smile:

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## stroller

After this, we come to the first part of the temple ritual, here the hansum young man before...

and during the haircutting ceremony:

Relatives and friends take turns to cut:

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## stroller

The shaving is done by the local barber guys:

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The music band in the temple hall:

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Changing clothes:

It's white robes now until the second part of the ritual:

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Washing:

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Getting dessed:

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Our novice is carried into the hall, his feet are not to touch dirt from now on:


Inside he gets his new hat from the monk:

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Various ritual follow:

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The homespun cotton strings are blessed:

Candles/fire:

Water:

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...and tied around the wrists with well-wishes:

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## stroller

Next, and I don't know what this is about**:



At the end of the ceremony, the old teabags get going again:

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## stroller

Our neophyte is carried to the pickup:



And the procession proceeds:

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## stroller

Our boy is delivered home, where he will remain until the next an final day:

Meanwhile, festivities take on a much more contemporary touch outside:

I should mention that this is quite an extravagancia for our village:

All family members are in dept up to their eyebrows already, but this a once-in-a-lifetime event, innit?

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## stroller

The party continues into the night:

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Audience participation welcome:


Meanwhile, our neophyte hasn't moved an inch, accepting well-wishers:


Sorry this thread is long-winded, not something one witnesses everyday.
Now, if only I could find the tape with day3... :Confused:

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## blackgang

Yea, and just think, the monk hood will last a couple of weeks and then its all over for another lifetime, What a bunch of shit, just like the catholics, figure a way to keep em broke, stupid and knocked up and you have them for a lifetime.

any chance that they should ever get a couple of baht in their pocket and you have lost em, prevent that at any expense.

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## stroller

How does a 2-weeks spell in the temple "keep 'em broke", bg, don't make much sense what you say.

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## stroller

Day 3: 
starts in a way as expected by now:



The man:

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## stroller

Today is orange robe day, first walk around the temple 3x:

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## blackgang

> How does a 2-weeks spell in the temple "keep 'em broke", bg, don't make much sense what you say.


After you had already said,



> All family members are in dept up to their eyebrows already, but this a once-in-a-lifetime event, innit?


So all this and pobly borrowed money for all the booze and grub, Just means deeper in debt, then he is off to summer camp, Just another Thai excuse for a drunken party with money that could have been spent paying off bills in an adult manner, I see the same thing here, living in a shack without even a floor or finished walls and windows, the cooking area right where a sidewalk would be if we had sidewalks and cars driving by within 2 feet of the table/brazier, never a thought of a better life for your family, just another bottle of booze.

If the dickhead was actually going to be a monk it would be understandable, but not for a weeks stay at a Wat, and then never becoming a real monk, live by the 3 basic tenets just like every other Thai.
Fokin gig is over before the hangover is finished..

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## stroller

Getting his feet washed before entering the inner sanctum:

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Lighting the candles:

and jossticks:

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Only close relatives are allowed inside, the other layity resides outside:



Now, the initiation proper begins, Pali texts are sung and answers given by the novice:

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## stroller

Now he's getting his orange robe:

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Being instructed and assisted by the senior monks:

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Ready for further instructions:

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He gets symbolic gifts, his begging bowl:

And what looks like a flower bouquet to hand to the monks:

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Coming out with his notes:

And his begging bowl:

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More 'instructions':

While the crowd waits:

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Finished?
No - back inside where he'll get his mala:

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Giving gifts to the monks:

And, almost done:

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## stroller

Done!

Posing for family pics:

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## stroller

Now the part the children, young, old and grown-up have been waiting for. More than 800 coins (1bt) are carefully folded and will now be thrown out:

I managed to catch 5:

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