So far during my time here in Thailand I have had the opportunity to go to two different monk ordinations. Or at least the celebrations leading up the ordination. In Thailand, every male becomes a monk for at least three months. There is even government assistance for men who take time away from work in order to become a monk.
The first set of celebrations I went to were back in Suphan Buri. I say set of celebrations because what I went to began the night before the actual ordination. There was a big dinner with a stage and live music and what are known as coyote dancers (women dressed in barely there costumes dancing very sexy on stage who are usually available afterward as well.) My host family in Suphan Buri had some kind of connection to the young man who was being ordained. The music was unbelievable loud and lasted all night (I could easily hear it at my house nearly a kilometer away).
The next morning my host sister and I went to the wat. We got there early so we waited for the party to arrive. Literally. The young man rode in on a decorated horse with a live brass band playing music and a bunch of people parading around. Once they arrived we joined the parade and dancing and walked around the temple three times. Throughout the parading, the soon to be monk was throwing out baht coins and everyone rushed to grab them, kind of like kids when a pinata busts open, but it happened more than just once. After it was over, most people went to eat and the young man went into the temple to chant and official become a monk. My host sister and I headed home because I had to get ready to do my oral test of my Thai Language Skills (I passed with an Intermediate Mid, two levels above what I was required to get).
The second monk ordination celebration I went to was within my first week at site with my host family. This time it was probably about 12 young boys becoming monks. They were seated in the back of pickup trucks and tossed out candy while everyone paraded and danced around as well. Also, instead of a live band there was a truck piled 15 feet high with speakers once again blasting music. It was really a lot of fun dancing in the street. All the people who lined the side of the street and didn’t join put out water for people to drink because it was so hot. At one point a little boy turned on a hose and sprayed everyone with water. A lot of people were delighted by me being there and tried to talk to me, but that was really difficult because I couldn’t hear them and they speak a different dialect here. I started to get a headache so I ended up going home when the parade passed my house. Regardless, it was still a lot of fun!
