As chance would have it we were passing a small village en route to Mount Popa when our guide got a call saying that they were having a novitiate ceremony and that we could stop. This is when youngsters enter enter the monastery for the first time somethings as in today this is at a very early age.
The kids who looked about 5 years old were dressed in very sparkly costumes and looked nervous. There was dancing and singing and horses colourfully decked out. Everyone was dressed in their best. At the end of the ceremony the novitiates will have their heads shaved and leave for the monastery for 3 weeks. A rather frightening prospect at that age but their families can visit and bring them food.
Every Burmese Buddhist must enter the monastery at some point. Our assistant guide went when he was 18 but only remained 9 days as he didn't like it. Our guide and his wife and his child all go every few years for a one week period. They get their heads shaved and live the monastic life.
Mount Popa is one of the most unique sites I've come across.
It is a Buddhist pagoda and Nat shrine perched a top an old volcano plug - think butte only covered in lush greenery. The Nats are the local deities here. Often they are mischievous and even destructive. The belief system coexists with Buddhism much like Shintoism does in Japan. The Nats seem to receive more offerings here though, bananas, coconut, local money, USD money, cheroots, palm sugar alcohol. A tableau worthy of the 175 monkey poop encrusted steps up. (I gave the poop cleaner and generous donation on the way down, thanks goodness for wetnaps and hand (foot sanitizer)) Did I mention that I'm burning my shoes when I get home?
What remained of the afternoon was free so I wandered down to the pagoda near the hotel for sunset.
The kids who looked about 5 years old were dressed in very sparkly costumes and looked nervous. There was dancing and singing and horses colourfully decked out. Everyone was dressed in their best. At the end of the ceremony the novitiates will have their heads shaved and leave for the monastery for 3 weeks. A rather frightening prospect at that age but their families can visit and bring them food.
Every Burmese Buddhist must enter the monastery at some point. Our assistant guide went when he was 18 but only remained 9 days as he didn't like it. Our guide and his wife and his child all go every few years for a one week period. They get their heads shaved and live the monastic life.
Mount Popa is one of the most unique sites I've come across.
It is a Buddhist pagoda and Nat shrine perched a top an old volcano plug - think butte only covered in lush greenery. The Nats are the local deities here. Often they are mischievous and even destructive. The belief system coexists with Buddhism much like Shintoism does in Japan. The Nats seem to receive more offerings here though, bananas, coconut, local money, USD money, cheroots, palm sugar alcohol. A tableau worthy of the 175 monkey poop encrusted steps up. (I gave the poop cleaner and generous donation on the way down, thanks goodness for wetnaps and hand (foot sanitizer)) Did I mention that I'm burning my shoes when I get home?
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| Nats at Mount Popa |
What remained of the afternoon was free so I wandered down to the pagoda near the hotel for sunset.
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| Near Loka Nanda Pagaoda, Bagan |
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