Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1892 — THE TOP KNOT IN SIAM. [ARTICLE]

THE TOP KNOT IN SIAM.

IT IS CUT WHEN A CHILD BECOMES OF AGE. The Ceremony of Its Being Cut From a Prince’s Head Described By an Eye-witness. The Siamese have a quaint and pioturosque custom which is celebrated in every family p oteudiiig to wealth and' fashion, when a child becomes j of age of cutting the top knot. This top knot is a round patch of hair allowed to grow oil the top of tho head, whito tho rest of the head is closely shaved. The looks are wound round into a coil, fastened with a pin and surrounded on festive occasions by a tiny chaplet of swoetscentod white flowers, it is worn until tho boy is to becomo in a measure independent, or in the case of girls till their marriageable age begins to draw near. The date is regulated by the fancy of tho family, controlled in some instances by the family soothsayer, und ranges from nine, eleven and thirteen years; but the even numbers are avoided as less propitious. But when the day does come, tho top-kuot cutting is a groat and gay ceremony. When the personage to be operated upon is a “Chow Fa,” or celestial prince, the rite is elaborate and splendid. But when tho heir apparent to the crown of Siam takes his turn at tho hair cropping, the whole festal resources of the paiaco and the kingdom ure exhausted in doing honor to tho event, which occupies a week and more of tho undivided attention of every prince and magnate within reach. Some years ugo it was the good fortune of tho writer to witness the magnificent ceremonies attending the important service of shearing tho top knot from tho head of the Crown Prince of Siam. As a curious custom and one seldom witnessed by Europeans a brief description of the brilliant spectacle may not be devoid of interest. There were assembled in the Sinmedo capital all the pendutory vassals of his most Buddhist majesty the Rajah of Kedah, the sultans of Potani, Reinstall andTrmgano, the governors of Singona, Reiiong and Kroh and all the provinces of first, second and third grade. They all brought substantial presents for the prince. The fete was ushered in, like most others in Siam, by formal state prooessions, and a Siamese procession is in itself a marvel and & wonder. The royal crown alone, worn by the king in his palanquin, is one mass of blazing jewels worth'a fabulous sum. His jeweled uniform would run up into the millions, and the crown of the dark-eyed prince would go far toward making an American family happy and independent for life. Many thousands of pounds of pure gold garnish the belts und court uniforms of tho odd-looking nobles and notables, while tho display of wealth upon swords, daggers and finely wrought head pieces was sufficient to dazzle und bewilder the imagination. The grouping and mixture of colors and costuinos formed no small purt of tho pageant, and the lord chamberlain or minister of tho palace, aided by numerous drill masters and court costumers, had spent weeks in perfecting this portion of tho ceremony for tlrn honor und glory of the royal family. Tho feature of the procession was the appoarance of battalions, male and femuio, representing tho different stutes, either suhjeot to Siam or connected in some way with her. Each bund of forty or fifty, murcliing four abreast, sportoj the characteristic dress of thoir country, and the funereal black of the tall, lithe Shuns, with thoir black hair reared up into a hideous cockade, wus in striking contrast with tho brilliant uniforms of the Maun girls, the gav colors of the feudatory Malays, and the graceful elegance and handsome dresses of the Siamese themselves. Five hundred girls, all marching in exact time, with a true military swing to thoir gait, formed tho van of the main body, and displayed tho costumes of white, ‘ black and yellow Shans, Loosinns, Pequuns, Muuns, Karens and Malays. Among the battalions of Siamese girls were full-fledged Amazonian warriors, armed with swords und rifles, marching steadily, eyes square to the front and with the bearing of those who had seen uctual service. From four feet and less to nearly or quito five feet in height the ranks passed on in apparently endless array, their bare, noiseless feet seeming to glide over the raat-cov-erod flag stones, their hands joined in suppliant attitude, and one rounded brown shoulder shining out like burnished bronze from the folds of bright scarf or gauzy, undulutiug mantle. In beauty of figure and in the lithe grace of their movements the Siumese maidens excelled all present, and their light, almost classic oostumes, though more subdued in color and adornment than their neighbors’, were in more perfect taste. At the sides of tho procession marched nobles clad in green and blue, soothsayers in flowing white robes with tall conical pink and white hats, sprightly youths of high-born rank in close-fitting costumes of scarlet and accouterments blazing with precious stones. Then close at their heels followed the royal white elephants clad in gorgeous trappings and carefully attended by trained servants. The male phalunx came next in representative uniforms, which had evidently made a sensation in court circles and tickled the royal fancy. There wore dark-skinned highlanders in kilts and trews, stumpy little grenadiers apparently top heavy neath their bearskin head gear. Sappers and miners in the uniform of tho Prussian urmy, Goorkhas iu national rig and Sepoys in fanciful regimentals, with scores of costumes and uniforms copied from all arms of military services and representing ull the principal nations of Europe. The uniform of the United States armed forces was conspicuous by its absence. His majesty of Siam had evidently tossed the plates contemptuously aside as too tamo and unpretentious for Siamese tastes. Surrounded by the royal body guard was borne tho royal palanquin, followed by white-clad angels crowned with ringed and pointed crowns and bearing a sort of thyrsus representing gold and silver flowers. A cloud of drummers, pipers and trumpeters was interspered at intervals, making the air resound with their efforts, nnd half a dozen brass bands rendered European airs at appropriate occasions For three days in succession the processions accompanied the king and prince to the most sacred of the palace temples only to listen to the consecrating lectures of the priests. But on the fourth day, starting eurlier, they filled tho palace yard before noon. As the king nnd his •01. took their seats on raised thrones in the central facade of the pagoda the scene was both grnnd and unique. Tho entire space in front was occupied by the foreign ministers, in full unifonn, together with naval officers and invited guests, all in full rig. As the Siamese national anthem pealed through the crowded space the king and prince passed into the pagoda, followed

by the other princes of the blood. The locks forming the crown prince’s top knot were severed with conseornted shears, and tlio prince—now no longer a child—was ready for tho remaining formalities. At the far end of the palace courtyard opposite the pngoda had been constructed an artificial mountain glittering with imaginary snows of Hlinaphan. Upon Its poaks and ridges were seen angols nnd demons; the fabulous tree of Kalpapruk. bearing gold, silver aud precious stones; mischievous apes and grandos, nnd the evil serpent Nagu; and at the base, as well ns on its summit, were peaked pagodns, carved, curtained and glittering with golded scales. To the foot of the mount the prince had to trudge after his top knot had been shorn off. .In the sacrod lake of Anoduk he tukos a plunge and is carefully dried by the venerable head priest, lie is then arrayed in regal attire and oonduoted by Vishun to the top of the hill to be received by Sira. Here the prince receives tho five insignia of royalty—the sword, tho crown, the fan, the slippers and the white storovod umbrella. Then follows the smaller procession around the mountain, from left to right; and at length tho poor fellow, pale with fatigue nnd excitement, is carried buck ! after his futher to tho staircase of the j grand palace. This completes the pageunt and ceremony of clipping the crown prince’s top knot, und ns tho bands discourse various aiie tho spectators withdraw from the royal grounds.—[Washington Star.