Poy Sang Long
Poy Sang Long is a traditional Shan festival where boys are ordained before entering a monastery as novice monks. The ceremony is a time-honoured, ‘rite of passage’ with some boys perhaps only spending a token week or two as novices and others going on to spend years – or even a lifetime – as Buddhist monks.
Little princes While the majority of ethnic Shan people inhabit the eponymously named Shan Plateau region of northeastern Burma, there is, for obvious reasons, a large community of Shan refugees and migrants living today in Northern Thailand and this particular, well-attended ceremony was held at Wat Ku Tao in Chiang Mai City.
Including some thanaka makeup Traditionally, the boys are dressed as ‘princes’ with elaborate costumes, which is supposed to reflect Prince Siddhartha or Buddha’s childhood, prior to his departure from the family’s royal palace as he answered his religious calling. In Buddhist mythology, he was said to have fled silently during the night on a horse with padded hooves to dampen the noise. (Some versions have acolytes even raising the horse off the ground.)
Ice cream break for this little prince The ceremony is usually held for teenage boys, from around 12 years of age up to 20, although in this case, many were clearly younger. Younger lads, who would otherwise get rather lost in the crowd, are often carried on the shoulders of a close family member – see below – such as a father, uncle or elder brother.
The adults – friends and family members – are clearly enjoying themselves too 
Poy Sang Long at Wat Ku Tao Originating in Burma/Myanmar, thanaka is a ubiquitous cosmetic for the Shan. This is a paste formed by mixing powdered bark from the thanaka tree with water and has multiple functions, including possessing a perceived cooling effect and repelling mosquitoes and insects, as well as being decorative.
Rare to see so much tinsel outside of Xmas 
Even the aunts and grandmothers join in Unfortunately for visitors, the Poy Sang Long festival doesn’t have fixed dates, taking place sometime in late March to mid-April, so it isn’t easy to factor in to a tour but you can check our 4-day Chiang Mai extension and all our Thai and Thai and Laos tours passing through the city at our Thailand destination page. Thanks to Wi for all the great photos.
