Thailand's Poy Sang Long festival

[transboy]

Young shaven-headed boys wearing make-up and brightly colored sequined robes are ordained as Buddhist novices in Mae Hong Son, northern Thailand.

[transboy]

The Poy Sang Long (Festival of the Crystal Sons) is a traditional rite of passage held every year among the Shan, or Tai Yai, people of Myanmar and northern Thailand. The ceremony goes on for three days.

[transboy]

First, the boys' heads and eyebrows are shaved by their parents or other relatives. Then they are made up and dressed in colorful finery, transforming them into "Jeweled Princes" in imitation of Lord Buddha.

[andyg0404]

Thanks Transboy, fascinating the way other cultures treat gender and sexuality.

Andy G.

[transboy]

Yeah it is fascinating. And for them, its totally normal to make a boy look as beautiful as possible.