From boys to monks
- These amazing pictures show Saw Win Gy and The The Win as they become ordained as Buddhist monks
- The 'Going Forth' ceremonies mark the occasion they begin to become immersed in Buddhist teachings
- The celebrations begin with the boys being made up in resplendent dress before they have their heads shaved
It is one of the most momentous occasions in these young boys' lives - and one of the most important duties their parents are to carry out for them.
Decked head to toe in vibrant costume and made up with lavish jewellery and make-up, these two boys are about to be ordained as Buddhist monks.
Under the Theravada form of Buddhism, widely practised in Thailand and Sri Lanka, the children are ordained during initiation ceremonies known as the 'Going Forth'. Afterwards they become immersed in Buddhist teachings, potentially for the rest of their lives.
This remarkable collection of pictures follows ten-year-old Saw Win Gy and The The Win, 12, as they are ordained into the Buddhist tradition at the Mae La refugee camp, in Thailand.
Photographer Vincezo Floramo captured the images during the Ta Pwe celebrations, where, as part of the ordination, at least 40 children had their heads shaved at the camp during a full moon in March.
Saw Win Gy and The The Win are two Karen boys who went through the festivities, which begin on the eve of Ta Pwe with dances and musicians performing, while the families offer tea for the guests.
During the first day of the festivities the children were carried on the shoulders of family members around the camp, stopping off at the homes of friends and relatives.Each family will then invited the boys into their home to worship at a Buddhist shrine.
The big day itself starts with a procession to the monastery, with the young boys dressed in resplendent silks embroidered with gold.
The ritual symbolises the Prince Siddharta Gutamama's departure from the royal palace, with its sensuous pleasures and luxuries, as he left his wife and newborn son in search of the Four Noble Truths.
Once at the monastery, the monks, who preside over the ceremony, shave the heads of the boys, who exchange their princely dress for white robes and recite the Ten Precepts.
At the end of the ceremony, the parents throw a mix of coins, sweets and popcorn into the air as an offer to the participants.
The boys are then given their alms bowls and palm-leaf fans by their parents, who then have to part with their children for the first time as they start their new lives as monks.
The Mae La camp is home to some 45,000 people, and is the largest of nine camps along Thailand's border with Burma.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
