Myanmar boys are novitiated in the Shinbyu ceremony whereas the girls also have a ceremony in which ear lobes are pierced so they can wear ear rings when they come of age, also it represents the girls going into womanhood.  Unlike the novitiation ceremony, this is more of a social event than religious event unlike for the Myanmar boys.

Traditionally, the girls have to wear costumes as those of princesses from the Myanmar olden days and for the piercing of ears, needles are use to pierce the ear lobes and these needles are made from pure gold.  Only the women who are experienced are allowed to pierce the ears of the young girls but even then, this is of course still rather painful process.  But now in the modern days, piercing guns are mostly used.  In Myanmar, this is regarded as one of the most important ritual for a young female’s life apart from their wedding.

The ear-piercing ceremony normally coincides with the boys’ novitiation rather than being held on its own. The girl, usually a sister of the novices-to-be, can have her ears pierced on her own or in a group depending on the situation. On the day of the novitiation ceremony, the girl’s ritual is held before the novitiation so they can then join the procession.