ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an ethnographic description of romantic practices. It draws primarily on the experiences of animist Pwo Karen in the rugged northwest corner of Om Koi District, Chiang Mai Province. The chapter discusses how the teenage years, when romances bloom, fit into the broader life cycle. It then describes the opportunities for the development of romances and the meaning of romantic love in a culture which stresses strict monogamy. The chapter particularly emphasizes the formalized rites of courtship incorporated in funeral ceremonies, because these are the most elaborated courting rites and the ones for which Karen teenagers spend the most time preparing. Finally, it explores how romantic practices have been modified in the Om Koi area and beyond, as the villagers have had more contact with Thai officials and NGO workers, children have begun attending school, and families have converted to Christianity.
