Myanmar 29 Shinbyu (novitiation ceremony)

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Myanmar
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Shinbyu (novitiation ceremony)
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You must become a monk, before you can become a
man. This is a very famous saying in Myanmar
which reflects the significance of this day in
the lives of the Burmese people.  The boy is
trained to become a novice for a certain period
of time with an ultimate goal to obtain
Enlightenment which is known as Nirvana in the
Buddhist religion. Buddhists in Myanmar believed
that if their sons have been initiated into
novice-hood at least in this life the parents
will not suffer in hell in next existence and
they regard the son who is in novice-hood like
men who are in more noble life and pay respect
while they are in novice-hood
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Shinbyu is the Burmese term for a novitiation
ceremony (pabbajja) in the tradition of Theravada
Buddhism, referring to the celebrations marking
the samanera ordination of a boy under the age of
20
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Almost two thousand years ago, the tradition of
Theravada Buddhism was started with the
inheritance ceremony of Rahula, who was the son
of Buddha. Nowadays, in Myanmar every boy under
the age of 20 goes through the samanera
ordination in order to embrace the legacy of the
Buddha. The Burmese families celebrate the
ordination of their young son into the Buddhist
order of the Sangha in a traditional way. This
occasion is an essential rite in the life of
every Buddhist male in Burma which is called
Shinbyu, the Shangha making ceremony. The
families without having a male child normally
seek for an orphan boy or a boy from very poor
families in order to receive this special
dispensation by the Buddha as this act provide
them great blessings and comfort in their lives
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According to the beliefs, by entering the order
of The Sangha in this life, a novice is become
able to increase his Karma (Merit) in
gaining Nirvana in his upcoming life. Normally
the period consists of at least seven days during
which the novice learns the basic principles that
are essential in becoming a good Buddhist
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One of the noblest ceremonies for Buddhists in
Myanmar is the ceremony of ordination and
novitiation
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The ceremony is very interesting and unique which
starts in the early morning with a procession to
the monastery. The young boy is dressed up in
bright colored and silks embroidered with gold
and he looks like a prince. The young boy is
riding on a horse back or carried in palanquins
with lots of drum beats and traditional dancing.
To provide the shelter from sunburn, the young
boy keeps a golden umbrella with him. This ritual
reminds the Prince Siddhartha Gautamas departure
from the royal palace who left his comfortable
and luxurious life and family at the age of 29 in
search of the Four Noble Truths
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The big day starts early with a procession called
the shinlaung hlè pwe to the monastery, the young
boy dressed in resplendent silks embroidered with
gold as a royal prince or king, shielded from the
sun by a gold umbrella and led on horseback by an
orchestral band headed by a clown with a
moustache called U Shwe Yoe dancing merrily. This
ritual symbolises Prince Siddhartha Gautama's
departure from the royal palace with its sensuous
pleasures and luxuries at the age of twenty nine,
leaving his wife and newborn son in search of the
Four Noble Truths
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The first shinbyu in history is believed to have
taken place in the Buddha's lifetime two and a
half millennia ago. It was his own son Rahula who
approached the prodigal father, at his mother
Yasodhara's bidding, to ask for his inheritance.
"Very well", said the Buddha, "here then is my
legacy for you", beckoning one of his disciples
to shave the head of the young prince and adorn
him with the robe of an ascetic in exchange for
his princely dress, and Rahula was then bidden to
follow the Buddha to his forest monastery
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The path to becoming a monk (Bhikkhu) or nun
starts with being a novice (Samanera) at tender
age. The whole community took part in the parade
to the local monastery. Ladies and maidens in the
same villages join the procession in traditional
longyi and silk clothes. The initial ordination
may last for week(s) for the children. One can
always repeat the ordination for several times in
a lifetime
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Behind the young boy follows the family, his
proud parents carrying the monastic robes and
other eight requisites, called pareihkara shippa
and his sisters or young village maidens carrying
ceremonial boxes of paan (preparation of betel
leaf combined with areca nut and/or cured
tobacco) and lotus blossoms or flowers all in
their best silks with the rest of the joyous
party completing the procession. The novice-to-be
(shinlaung) may be the centre of attention, but
his sister may at the same ceremony have an
ear-piercing with a gold needle, dressed up as a
royal princess herself
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Following them all was a gigantic 'boom box' of
speakers, playing the music
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Text Internet Pictures Sanda Foisoreanu
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 respective owners Presentation Sanda
Foisoreanu
2014
Sound Hlaing Win Maung - The Buddhas
who have auspiciously come into existence