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Farangs, Day 32 — Ceremony serendipity
Bagan, Myanmar |
Bagan, Myanmar
Itinerary: After breakfast we will stroll through the colorful local market. We visit some of the most significant pagodas and temples of Pagan, including Shwezigon Pagoda, built in the early 11th century by King Anawrahta, as a religious shrine. We will also visit Ku Byanuk Gyi, a temple with superb murals of Jataka scenes, Khay Min Ga Temple, noted for its panoramic view of the area’s numerous monuments and Ananda Temple, with four standing Buddha images.
After lunch, we visit a lacquerware craftsmen’s workshop in nearby Myinkaba village. We continue on to Manuha Temple, built in the Mon style in 1059 and then to Nanbaya Temple, a unique sandstone monument said to have been the palace of King Manuha.
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As we were driving to the Shwezigon Pagoda in Nyaung-U and passing one of the villages, we were very fortunate to come across a coming of age / rite of passage ceremony (shinbyu) for several boys. The music was so loud!! The celebration goes on all day, with several hundred relatives and friends eating, visiting, and thoroughly enjoying the ceremonies and the day. As the cost is enormous several families often share in the expense, and the natwin ceremony for girls is also included.
With makeup, jewelery, silk robes and fancy headdresses, the boys were dressed like Prince Siddhartha Gautama would have before he renounced his life as a prince and became the first Buddha (“the awakened one” or “the enlightened one”). This ceremony has to be held before the age of twenty. At the end of the festivities the boys will have their hair and eyebrows shaved off, are given a robe and a begging bowl, and go to the temple for at least week to learn Buddhist teachings and experience temporary monastic life.
After having their ears pierced, girls will return home. Although this ceremony is important to the girls, it doesn’t approach anywhere near the level of importance of the shinbyu, which is a very big deal, indeed.
The sheer number of pagodas, temples and stupas is awe-inspiring, more than 2200 on the 26 square mile plain, many thousand more lying in ruins.
