Poy Sang Long - Crystal Son Ceremony in Chiang Mai

Theravada Buddhist initiation into the order of monks. The son of a wealthy Shan family in Thailand dress their son like a prince. He rides a pony in a fashion that recalls Siddhartha's entry into a life of spiritual development.

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Pulling the casket and funerary vehicle onto Thae Phae Road in Chiangmai, Thailand

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Wat Saenfang in Chiangmai, Thailand

With the temple in the background is a funeral pyre is in the shape of a "nok hatsidiling", a mythical animal that is part elephant, part goose and part snake. Nearly 3 stories high, this enormous gilded funeral pyre can swing it's head back and forth, blink it's eyes and gesture with it trunk while shooting out small bits of paper.

 The elephant-swan serves multiple functions: as an altar/funerary bier to display the coffin of the beloved abbot; as a symbolic cremation pyre; and as a ceremonial barge. The elephant-swan is set on top of a platform with the wheels concealed by the flowers, fencing and tables. When they are removed the elephant-swan is manually pulled with 2 long ropes by the lay men and women, in an parade through the streets of downtown Chiangmai to the place of the actual cremation.