Friday, March 14, 2008

Traditional Festivals in Thailand by Ruth Gerson

Ceremonies and festivals abound in Thailand contributing colour to its life. Many Thai festivals are based on the lunar calendar, with December being the first month of the lunar year. Here are some festivals which you may have heard of.

Buddhist Festivals

Thailand is predominantly a Thervada Buddhist country. The 3 main Buddhist festivals are Maka Bucha, Visaka Bucha and Asalaha Bucha. People flock to the temples and pay their respects to Buddha and his teachings. Rituals are performed in threes. Devotees bow 3 times before the image of Buddha; they bring 3 items as offering( a lotus bud, a lighted candle and a burning incense stick ); and with these, they circle the ordination hall of the temple 3 times.

The Royal Barge Procession is held when the king travels from the Grand Palace, once the home of all royalty, to Wat Arun( Temple of the Dawn ), to present a robe to the abbot. As keeper of the Buddhist faith, the king is customarily the first to present the robes to the monks. It is a majestic event of grand vessels and colourfully dressed men, recalling days of glory. The most distinguished is the Suphanahongs, the golden swan, modelled after the vehicle of the Hindu god Brahma. This barge carries the king during the Royal Barge Procession. The crystal tassel, ending in tufted yak's hair, is suspended from the golden swan's beak and indicates the king's presence on the boat.

Agricultural Festivals 

Divine forces are consulted annually to ensure a good crop, particularly of rice, the staple food.These festivals mollify the spirits and elicit their help in creating favourable conditions for the harvest.The Ghost Festival is one such festival. It is also a coming of age rite, with the ghosts portrayed by boys and young men. It celebrates the return of Prince Vessantara after his exile by everyone, including ghosts.

Cultural Festivals

Songkran marks the change of season from arid heat to humid rains. It embraces the very popular water-splashing revelry. Water is used for cooling, for symbolising the act of purification and for invoking the life-giving monsoon rains.Buddha images are taken out of temples for ritual bathing and are sprinkled with lustral water by devotees.People gather to sprinkle or more likely to splash water at each other.

In Loy Krathong, people head to rivers, ponds and canals to float their krathong, a lotus-shaped cup made of banana leaves and decorated with flowers.These are sent to the goddess of the waters to appease and ask her forgiveness for abusing and polluting the water throughout the year.

Royal Festivals

These are linked to the Chakri dynasty, from Rama I to the present Rama IX, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.The Thai king and queen are deeply respected and revered by Thai people. The king's birthday has been adopted as official Father's Day in Thailand. Similarly, the queen's birthday is observed as National Mother's Day in Thailand.