The topknot-cutting ceremony or ''kon chuk'' ( th, โกนจุก, ) is an ancient

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

ceremony that used to be popular in the fourth reign. It is often held with other auspicious ceremonies such as the House Blessing Ceremony. ''Kon chuk'' is a ceremony for children who are between seven and thirteen years old.

Custom

Before the ''kon chuk'' day

People have to prepare a place at a children's home or a

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and prepare items which include a table for auspicious

ritual A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed according to a set sequence. Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious community. Rituals are characterized, b ...

items, a table

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

, scissors, holy thread,

holy water Holy water is water that has been blessed by a member of the clergy or a religious figure, or derived from a well or spring considered holy. The use for cleansing prior to a baptism and spiritual cleansing is common in several religions, from ...

conch shell Conch () is a common name of a number of different medium-to-large-sized sea snail, sea snails. Conch shells typically have a high Spire (mollusc), spire and a noticeable siphonal canal (in other words, the shell comes to a noticeable point a ...

, and food for monks.

Buddhist monks A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics ("nun", ''bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhist c ...

are invited to the ceremony.

On the ''kon chuk'' day

The child must be dressed in new and beautiful clothes. Then parents of the child take the child to the place where they are prepared for the ''kon chuk'' ceremony, and the monks will start chanting Chayanto, which is a Thai prayer. When the chanting is finished, a monk cuts a bit of the child's hair, and then adults who could be mother, father, or a person who the child highly respects can continue to cut the child's hair. Next, parents of the child take the child to a place where is prepared for pouring holy water. Then adults start pouring holy water on the child from the most respected person to the less respected person. The child's hair that was cut is put on a lotus leaf that is floated on the water, and the adults will pray for the child.

References

{{Reflist Thai culture Ceremonies in Thailand Cultural history of Thailand