Padaung, a Mongolian tribe, have been assimilated into the Karen group. In the past Padaung girls were fitted with the rings at the age of five or six. The day chosen for this ritual was prescribed by the horoscopic findings of the village shamans. The neck was carefully smeared with a salve and massaged for several hours, after which a priest would fit small cushions under the first ring-usually made of bronze - to prevent soreness. The cushions were removed later on. The process would continue with successive rings being added every two years.
