A Buddhist teenager goes through a bizarre initiation ceremony to become a monk - thrown in the air on a bamboo stretcher to prove his strength. <br /><br />The teenager had to shave his head and eyebrows before donning traditional costume and climbing on top of the long wooden structure. <br /><br />Villagers then spun him round and shook him violently to test his endurance skills and motivation to join the monk hood. <br /><br />The unique tradition has been held annually every May since 1971 in a village in Chaiyaphum province, northeast Thailand. <br /><br />Chief abbots oversee the ritual - known as the Brutal Ordination - to weed out the youngsters who are not serious about becoming a monk. <br /><br />Anyone who falls off the stretcher - which is carried for three kilometers by locals - is deemed to ''lack dedication'' and is banned from becoming a monk.<br /><br />Footage taken at the Wat Ta Kaek Ban Non Salao on May 2 during the Buddhist Lent holiday shows a teenager successfully completing the task.<br /><br />Chief monk Phra Changchai said: ''Many young people say they don't have time to become a monk. They are busy working or playing on their phones.<br /><br />''We continue to perform the tradition to guarantee that only the most dedicated men are becoming monks.''<br /><br />Thai men are expected to ordain at least once in their lives after they have reached adulthood. Many will join their local temple for a few days before returning to civilian life.
