Ordination parade on elephant's back

This tradition is held mostly on the 13th-15th day of the waxing moon in May (around mid-May). Khmer, Laotian, and Suay people are all Buddhist and families wish their sons to enter monkhood and study the dhamma before marriage. The ordination of large numbers of monks simultaneously on elephant back over long distances confer great merit on the families of the ordainees. As all participants dress decoratively with mat-mi silk, the tradition earns lots of merit which is passed down through generations. The parade includes more than 50 elephants crossing the Mun River, with those ordained having shaved heads, all paying homage to Chao Pho Wang Thalu Shrine before starting the ordination.