Wrist tying ceremony at the Syracuse Karen Buddhist Monastery at 206 Highland St. Credit: Photo by Mike Greenlar | Central Current

Karen refugees gathered at a Buddhist Monastery at 206 Highland St. on Aug. 13 for an annual wrist tying ceremony.

The Karen people tie threads around their wrists every August to protect themselves from illness and preserve their cultural heritage.

Nearly 100 people participated in the event.

The Karen people come from Myanmar, previously referred to as Burma. They have faced religious and ethnic persecution by Myanmar’s military.

Thousands of the Karen people have fled Myanmar in the last several decades and some have settled in Syracuse.

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Chris Libonati is the managing editor of Central Current. He is a founding editorial member of the organization and was hired as Central Current's first reporter. He previously worked at the Syracuse Post-Standard...