Written by John LeFevre

The annual Poi Sang Long ceremony is held in the northern Thailand city of Mae Hong Son (province [of the] three mists) in late March or early April each year.

Practised by the Shan people of Burma and northern Thailand the ceremony means Festival (of the) Crystal Sons and is a rite of passage ceremony undergone by boys between seven and 14 years of age.

The three day ceremony traces it’s origins back to Buddhist legend which tells the tale of Prince Rahula, the son of Buddha, who gave up his worldly possessions to follow his fathers teachings and who became the first novice Buddhist monk and youngest ordained monk 2,535 years ago.

In the ceremony young boys first have their heads shaved by parents and family members before being bathed, anointed with herbal waters and then dressed to resemble princes from bygone eras.

After having their faces embellished to make them as beautiful as possible, the would be novice monks are then carried around from temple to temple to seek forgiveness from the cities Abbots.

In 2010, Poi Sang Long ceremony will be held during April 9 -11 at Wat Muay Taw in centrer of Mae Hong Son town.

For more information, please contact:
Mae Hong Son Municipal Office,
Phone: +66 53 612 016
TAT office of Mae Hong Son:
Phone: +66 53 612 982-3