Wednesday we head out to Wat Muang, where we are intrigued by the rituals here. As you approach, many small stores sell beautiful floral garlands, candles, birds in tiny cages to free in the temple grounds, etc. AFter the Burmese razed the original temple the Buddha statue melted to a 1 foot pyramid of metal. A supplicant pays a lama to chant, and burn their candle.
The supplicant first measures the length of his arm and circumference of his head with thin beeswax candles and plaits the candle for the lama to burn over a brass pot. One young mother had brought her baby who was mesmerized watching this, then they all had white sik threads tied around their wrists. She then tried to lift the melted Buddha over her head 3 times, then shook a case of incense strands, making a loud noise presambly to chase away bad spirits.
Of course, paper money changes hands or goes in boxes all along this ritual. Finally she takes the baby to a huge gong, gets him to hold the hammer and gives it a mghty bash. Other people knelt before another gong and rubbed the hemisphere in the middle until it reverberated (like rubbing wine glasses with a wet finger) - quite fascinating.
We saw other families arriving, clearly mother had in mind for them to all perform the ritual and the youngsters were guffawing at the mere thought, measuring your head with a candle, etc.
A small inner shrine seemed to attract more devout supplicants and the size of the flower arrangements was amazing, two foot high, always orange flowers, crysanthemums especially.
The supplicant first measures the length of his arm and circumference of his head with thin beeswax candles and plaits the candle for the lama to burn over a brass pot. One young mother had brought her baby who was mesmerized watching this, then they all had white sik threads tied around their wrists. She then tried to lift the melted Buddha over her head 3 times, then shook a case of incense strands, making a loud noise presambly to chase away bad spirits.
Of course, paper money changes hands or goes in boxes all along this ritual. Finally she takes the baby to a huge gong, gets him to hold the hammer and gives it a mghty bash. Other people knelt before another gong and rubbed the hemisphere in the middle until it reverberated (like rubbing wine glasses with a wet finger) - quite fascinating.
We saw other families arriving, clearly mother had in mind for them to all perform the ritual and the youngsters were guffawing at the mere thought, measuring your head with a candle, etc.
A small inner shrine seemed to attract more devout supplicants and the size of the flower arrangements was amazing, two foot high, always orange flowers, crysanthemums especially.
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