Bagan (Myanmar), Dec 18 (AFP) Riding elephants and horsesin heavily bejewelled costumes, thick eyeliner and rougedlips, boys in central Myanmar parade through their village asancient princes in a ceremony to mark their passage tomonkhood.
The whole village of Myinkabar, nestled among thecenturies-old pagodas of Bagan city, turns out for an annuallavish feast in their honour.
Everyone pays respects to the children giving up theirworldly belongings -- at least for a few days.
Buddhist tradition in Myanmar requires youths to spendsome time in a monastery or nunnery before the age of 18 inwhat is viewed as an important coming of age ritual.
Most people undertake this at least once in their lives.
The first step for both boys and girls is to have alltheir hair shaved off.
They adjust to a demanding daily schedule of almscollecting, chores, study and worship.
But perhaps the hardest aspect is not eating from 12 noonuntil sunrise the next morning.
Many 'novices' are happy to exchange their robes --maroon or saffron for monks, pink for nuns -- at the end ofthe week for their normal attire and return to their families.
Others, however, are there for the long-term, destinedfor a monastic life.
"Sometimes I want to play football like other children inYangon but I can't," says 13-year-old Tate Tha, who has been anovice monk in Yangon for five years already.
"I'm envious of them but I'm doing good things in lifeand I am happy for that."Traditionally monasteries and convents have offered thechance for children, particularly from poorer backgrounds, toreceive an education in the country which is 87 per centBuddhist.
But as free places in government schools have become morewidely available, the number of novice monks and nuns is indecline, a trend that worries some Buddhism experts.
"It is like a tree whose roots are being destroyed," saysMya Thein, 50, a scholar at Yangon Buddhist University.
"We need to take care of it and we also need to find asolution. It is now in danger." (AFP)KIS.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.