How does a monk become a monk?

How does a monk become a monk?
...as illustrated by Chukiet, mei's 21 year old nephew, who will spend 10 days as a monk.

During this time, he will get up at 5 am to get rice from the neighbors to last him a full day of prayers. (it's generally considered really bad karma not to feed the monks, so they are quite well fed, but it's an exercise in humility to ask for your food every day at dawn... )

On sunday morning, chukiet gets his hair shaved... the ceremony lasts about 2 hours. The extended family and neighbors gather across the street (his grandparents' house), and they get in line to wait their turn to snip off a piece of his hair, which then gets placed in a banana-leaf-lined silver bowl, which his mother holds. All of this with an MC narrating, a camera rolling, and a brass band playing - all over loudspeakers set up in front of the house.




After everyone's had their turn, the monk finishes it off with a straight razor. At some point, amidst prayers, the monks dress him in a white lacey tunic, which he wears publicly until he receives his saffron robe the next day...



Then comes the procession to the local temple, where he'll be for 10 days... it reminded me a bit of a new orleans funeral march - the brass band plays these festive dixie tunes (i swear, one of them was that mockingbird lullaby), fueled by whiskey...and people dancing and cheering all the way...






As i mentioned, it's a festive affair. They ask you to dance with them, you dance! it was of utmost amusement to see my dad joining in...so Chukiet's riding in a truck under a blue umbrella; at the front is another truck with the kiddies and ice cold water...




it takes about an hour to reach the bridge that crosses the river to the temple. As a sidenote, i rode my bike over this bridge...a scary thing. motorbikes cross both ways... there's JUST enough room for both to fit, though i can't imagine getting that close to the side... the bridges are only a few years old - dad says that previously, there was a rope bridge with a pulley alongside, where you could hoist your bike, and it would be pulled to the other side...




The prayers lasted about an hour...i must admit, i got distracted taking photos of an old temple just across the way...


after this, everyone returned home to get ready for the big celebration bash on the house grounds. This part was a real trip - kind of like a big bar mitzvah - about 500 people showed up, and there was tons of food, and a whole stage was built for the entertainment... i'll post pictures separately...

Chukiet would receive his saffron robes the next day (monday)... again led by a procession, this time circling the main temple a few times...

....before praying...

...then going through that archway, and then being hoisted up so that he could touch the top of the door way to the temple...this must mark the moment he becomes a monk, because the crowd cheers.

Once inside, he is presented with his saffron robe, changes into it... and settles in for another hour or so of prayers...

And voila! a monk is born...