tgO ON THE RELIGION AND 



into the pricflhood. While we were at Rangoim 

 during this feafon, I had frequently an opportunity 

 of ffeeing part of the ceremony. For feveral days 

 previous to affuming the habit, the young men's pa- 

 rents gave great entertainments. Sheds were built in 

 the ftreets oppofue to their houfes, and under thefe 

 were erefted feats adorned with flags, and flowers na- 

 tural and artificial. Here generally aflembled four or 

 five of the young candidates, dreffed out in the moft 

 gaudy manner, and fat admiring the fupple motions 

 of dancing girls, or laughing at the grimace of players 

 and mimics. During this time, at leafl: once a day, 

 the candidates went through the town in a procefiion, 

 conhiling often of five or fix hundred perfons. The 

 following order, that I obferved in one of thefe pro- 

 ceffions, will give an idea of the whole. 



1. Drums and Burma hautbois. 



2. Young girls gaudily dreffed, their heads adorned 

 with tinfel, gum flowers, and the wings of an ele- 

 gant beetle, the Buprejlis ignita of Linn^us. 



3. Well drefled young women, carrying on their 

 heads bafons filled with fruits and flowers, an offer- 

 ing for the temple. 



4. The fathers and male relations of the young men, 

 with their attendants carrying their fwords of fl;ate, 

 and other infignia of royal favour. Among them 

 was a Zaregye, an officer of confiderable rank in 

 the town, 



5. Well drefled women carrying on their heads pots 

 of rice, a prefent for the Rahans. 



6. Bamboo ftages, each carried on four men's 

 ftioulders, and fuppoVting an imitation of the 

 Padezobayn. This confilled of a large upright 

 bamboo, in the center, with many fmaller fixed 

 into it, in imitation of branches, which were orna- 

 mented with tinfel and gum flowers. An umbrella 

 terminated the whole, and from the branches were 

 fufpended the difi^erent kinds of utenfils which are 

 ufcd by the Rahans : fuch as faheils^ fans, water- 

 buckets, bottles, (Sec. <Scc. 



7. Women 



