Poy Sang Long

Poy sang long is a rite of passage ceremony among the Shan peoples, in Myanmar and in neighbouring northern Thailand, undergone by boys at some point between seven and fourteen years of age. It consists of taking novice monastic vows and participating in monastery life for a period of time that can vary from a week to many months or more. Usually, a large group of boys are ordained as sāmaṇera at the same time.

Etymology

The Tai Yai name poy sang long is decomposed as follows:

poy meaning 'event', borrowed from Burmese pwe ;
sang, thought to come from either khun sang or sang ;
long, from along meaning Bodhisattva or 'king's lineage', borrowed from Burmese alaung. Long, from Burmese laung, also means "stage before the final change." Thus, sang long refers to a "boy or young man before becoming a novice monk."

Observances

In neighbouring Thailand, where Shan immigrants have brought over the traditions from Myanmar, the ceremony goes on for three days, as the boys spend the entire time being carried around on the shoulders of their older male relatives. On the third day, they are ordained, and enter the monastery for a period of at least one week, and perhaps many years.