Ta Pwe is the Karen terms for the initiation ceremony in the Buddhist Theravada tradition, referring to the celebration marking the samara ordination of boy under age of 20.
It is deemed the most important duty that parents owe to their son by letting him go forth and embrace the legacy of the Buddha. He becomes immersed on Buddhist teachings at least for a short while, perhaps longer if not for the rest of his life.
On the mark of this ceremony at least forty children on the full moon of march got shaved their
hair at Mae La refugee camp, Mae Sot, Thailand.
The holy celebration took place at Thirisanda monastery on the top hill of camp zone C.
The Mae La camp accommodates 45,000 mainly ethnic Karen people and is the largest of nine
camps along Thailand’s border with Burma.
Despite the Karen National Union and the Myanmar government signed a ceasefire in 2011 the process towards democratic reform and reconciliation it is on his early days. The majority of Mae La’s refugees feel it is not yet time to return.
Saw Win Gy and The The Win, respectively ten and twelve years old.are two Karen boys we followed during the festivity. Their families which are neighbour on Mae La camp preferred to do not give
much information about their past.
Many people in the refugee camp are still not trusting the new government in Burma therefore their distrust to be interview by media.
