Phi Ta Khon Festival

The Phi Ta Khon Festival (the Ghost Festival) is the most common name for a group of festivals held in the Dan Sai district of the Loei province in rural Thailand. The events take place over three days this July 1st through July 3rd.

The Phi Ta Khon Festival is called Boon Luang; Boon Luang is composed of a number of individual festivals which include Phi Ta Khon, the Ghost Festival; the Rocket Festival; and Bun Pra Wate, a merit-making ceremony.

Also known as the Thailand Ghost Festival, the Phi Ta Khon Festival is a much anticipated and highly regarded event in Thailand. Revelers and participants will don ghost masks and costumes made of bamboo and wicker and walk through town in the annual ghost parade which is more to the point a rain making ceremony that ushers in the beginning of rainy season.

The Phi Ta Khon Festival is a well attended event that brings together making merit, having a party, and reenacting the folklore of the reincarnation of King Vessandorn, the Buddha to be. Buddhist legend has it that the townspeople were angry that the charitable King gave away two precious white elephants to another King who asked for them. They then forcibly exiled him into the forest. The angels and spirits in the forest admired his unconditional generosity so they formed a procession to escort him back to rule the town. The townspeople became overjoyed with his epiphany and so the legend was born and has since given way to the annual Phi Ta KhonFestival.

Photo Courtesy Tourism Authority of Thailand

The Phi Ta Khon Festival will run for three days and the first day will be the masked procession of ghosts. The celebrants will put on fancy ghost masks and costumes which are handmade from colorfully painted bamboo rice steamers and decorated with colorful strips of cloth sewn together. The most common appearance of Phi Ta Khon Festival ghosts is the over sized head and long hooked nose, though you can also see many versions of the ghosts with long teeth or white face. Along the road, you can get spooked and teased by these playful ghosts and you’ll readily find yourself becoming a part of the joyful spirit.

On the second day of the Phi Ta Khon Festival the villagers form up another procession that dances along the streets into a temple and then firing off homemade bamboo rockets to incite the gods to give rain and a bountiful harvest. In some areas there will be competitions for the best mask, costumes and dancing with the winners of each contest receiving a coveted brass plaque.

On the last day of the Phi Ta Khon Festival, the villagers will meet up at a local temple to listen and recite the sacred thirteen sermons of Buddha, chanted by local monks. To mark the end of the event, the ghosts then take off their masks and costumes and shelve them for the next year’s celebration.

Phi Ta Khon Festival 2011 Schedule of Events

A Clean Food Festival – Good Taste Food Festival will be held at the evening market from 19.00 onwards starting on June 30th and running throughout the entire Phi Ta Khon Festival.

For more information on the Phi Ta Khon Festival you can contact the Tourism Authority of Thailand in the following ways:

Tourism Authority of Thailand, Loei Office

Tel: +66 (0) 4281 2812

Fax: +66 (0) 4281 1480

E-mail: tatloei@tat.or.th

For more information on upcoming Thailand Events and Festivals like the Phi Ta Khon Festival please refer to the Thailand Events Calender.

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Visakha Bucha Day

Visakha Bucha (Vesak) means the worship of the Buddha on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month. It usually falls in May. In the case of a year with an extra eighth lunar month–Adhikamasa (there are 13 full moons in that year)– the Visakha Bucha Day falls on the full moon day of the seventh lunar month.

Visakh Bucha day is a day of making merit and this was a day I have been looking forward to as Buddha and I needed to have a long talk.

I’m a firm believer that every Thai holiday is best enjoyed in the company of Thai friends and surrounded by Thai people, not only do you get a better understanding of whats going on around you but you get a real sense of community and in the case of a spiritual holiday such as Visakha Bucha day, if you are like me, you get a nice sense of spirituality. Personally I’m not the religious type but I find a certain calm and awareness in the midst of performing the Buddhist rituals associated with such a holiday.

Luckily for me my spiritual awakening this day was close at hand as Wat Chi Mong Khon just happens to be right around the corner from my condo. I spent the day with my good friend Tukta and we decided it would be nice to head to the Wat at sunset. As we walked up the street I started thinking carefully what I would speak to Buddha about and hoped he was in a listening mood today.

As we approached the Wat the crowds of faithful grew thicker and as we entered the Wat grounds we had our first opportunity for a Buddhist blessing as an elder monk was performing mass blessings in front of the main courtyard. We removed our shoes and knelt as he said his blessings and doused us with holy water, this was my first opportunity for a little chat with Buddha.

Afterwards we made a donation at the gate to the main courtyard and picked up our flowers, candles and incense. After lighting the incense and candle you hold the flowers along with the lit incense and candle in a wai and walk quietly 3 times around the main halls courtyard, this was my second chance to talk with Buddha a little. After your third round you are back at the entrance where you plant the incense and candles in  holders and say a prayer to Buddha before laying the flowers down as well. I can’t explain it but this is something I really enjoy as it brings a sense of peace and well being.

We then entered the Wat where we made another offering and chose our offerings to the monk who would be giving us a blessing. The standard offering is an orange bucket filled with food and household items which we would give and we also made a special offering of saffron robes. The offerings you get right there at the Wat for an offering of money. In this case we made an offering of 300 baht, 100 baht for the bucket, 100 baht for the robes and 100 baht that we would put in the envelope and hand to the monk as well.

We then knelt before the monk as he offered us his blessing and sprinkled us with holy water. We then gave our offerings before the final blessing. The final blessing entails a small metal flask and bowl. The flask is filled with holy water and is poured into the small bowl by one person as the monk says his blessing, the second person holds onto the pouring arm of the person pouring. When the blessing is done the bowl is then taken outside and the water poured onto a tree.

As Tukta poured out the water I saw my last chance to speak with Buddha, A small offering chest where you can write your wishes or thoughts down and add them with your offering. I had my chance to speak with Buddha several times and while I thought I would say one thing I ended up saying something completely different. I summed it all up with my last offering. Thank you for the opportunity to live in this wonderful country and enjoy it’s amazing culture, Thank you for the many Thai and foreign friends I have made and Thank you for allowing me to take part is this special day.

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The Erawan museum in Samut Prakan is someplace I’ve been meaning to get to for some time especially since its creator,Lek Viriyaphant, was the mastermind behind another beautiful work of art, The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

The elephant of 33 heads, or the elephant of the universe as it is also known, is part of an ancient Buddhist and Hindu myth about the greatest god of paradise, Indre. The myth tells us that wherever Indre goes he mounts his elephant, Erawan, who before each journey transforms himself into a 16,000 meter tall white elephant with 33 heads. Most depictions of Erawan you will see only show him as having 3 heads.

Khun Lek sought to house his rare collection of priceless artifacts safely while still preserving traditional beliefs that the sacred objects housed there would bring blessing and prosperity to the land and its people, and therefore must not be lost to outsiders.

This myth of Indre inspired Lek Viriyaphant to build a museum that is a reproduction of Erawan, and while not quite as big as the mythical beast this monumental museum is still rather large, coming in at 44 meters tall and weighing over 250 tons.

Khun Lek’s son, Pagpean Viriyaphant, was put in charge of managing the building project and bringing a host of talented artists together to make sure Khun Lek’s vision was brought to life. One of those artists, Rakchart Srichanken, was the creator of the actual Erawan structure while others were in charge of such details as the magnificent stained glass ceiling and carvings throughout the museum.

Khun Lek wanted Erawan to be more of a symbol of the center of the universe than a vehicle for the god Indre. He wanted the Erawan museum to symbolize the spiritual heart of the land where sacred objects could be housed and revered by all.

The museum consists of 3 separate levels. The base of the museum, “Underworld or Naga World”, plays host to an amazing array of ancient artifacts and artwork that dates back to the Ming Dynasty and beyond. Here you will find detailed carved furniture inlaid with mother of pearl as well as Ming vases and rare Chinese porcelain tea sets. There are also ancient Khmer and Thai artifacts. These objects were collected by Lek Viriyaphant and his family over generations. Unfortunately, to preserve the priceless treasures no photography or filming is allowed in Underworld.

The middle section of the elephant is called “Hall of Earth” and is filled with more rare artifacts such as statues and beautifully made furniture but the real show stopper is the magnificently carved grand stair cases and 4 embossed tin columns with religious reliefs that stretch up to the beautiful stained glass ceiling that depicts a map of the world. Where the 2 stair cases meet at the main landing there is a small shrine to make offerings.

Further up into the elephants head is the last level or “Tavatimsa Heaven” where you will find even more rare statues and Buddhist icons in another shrine area that can only be described as stunning. Again, no photography or filming is allowed of the individual artifacts but you may take pictures of the room and shrine.

Outside the Museum the great elephant is surrounded by a moat of running water where you can make offerings of lotus blossoms that will float around the structure. There is also a large area in front of Erawan where offerings can be made with flowers, incense and bells and gongs that can be rung for good luck.

Surrounding all of this is a beautiful park filled with sculptures, flowers and streams to wander through and relax. We spent the afternoon into early evening at the Erawan Museum enjoying all the rare pieces of art and the beauty that the whole park bestows on you. I knew this would be a special place just because of the man who created it, Lek Viriyapant, who spent his life creating wonderful places for all people to enjoy and to lift Thai cultural heritage.

The Erawan Museum is open daily from 8am to 5pm with guided tours every 30 minutes. Admission price is 150 baht per person. More information can be found at The Erawan Museum Website.

You can find even more pictures ( almost 300 ) of the beautiful Erawan Museum and park  in the Thailand Photo Gallery Erawan Museum,Samut Prakan.

Little known fact:

The Erawan Museum is considered the largest elephant sculpture in the world and it took over 10 years to complete.

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Thailand has many beautiful festivals throughout the year but none as highly anticipated as Loy Krathong, The Festival of Lights.

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Just got back from spending a few days in Bangkok and Vientiane, Laos.  I took over 1000 pictures, so, that should be good for a post or two in the coming days. The Laos part of the trip went well and I got the all important Education Visa out of the way so that left ample free time to explore the city.

Fortunately, or unfortunately as it were, the bed in our Vientiane hotel was as hard as a rock, even by Thai standards, so I found myself up at the break of dawn each day to watch the city come alive.

One aspect of Buddhism I enjoy is watching the morning ritual of monks filing out of their respective Wats ( temples ) and into the streets to receive alms from the faithful. I’m not sure what draws me to the ritual more, the act of the faithful giving freely to the monks and receiving the monks blessings or the beautiful contrast of orange robes against dirty city streets that appeals to the photographer in me.

When I mentioned to Ying that the monks were coming she hurriedly threw on some clothes, grabbed her bag and me and sped out the door.

Normally the alms given by the waiting faithful is small amounts of food and drink but it can also include household goods, candles and personal items for the monks to use. As we were running decidedly late we had no choice but to give the only gift we had…money. And we were going to have to convert some baht to Lao kip before we could even do that.

When you are in a hurry changing baht to kip is easier said than done, especially when you are doing it at a street vendor at 7am in the morning and only have 1000 baht notes on you. Luckily the vendor had a few large stacks of kip and the exchange was made in time to give alms to the passing Monks. In case you were wondering 1000 baht is roughly $30.00 and converted into Lao kip it becomes a staggering 283,000 kip, all of which is pretty much worthless, and no one wants it.

It was decided over morning tea that we would make a trip to the store and make a proper offering for tomorrows line of monks. When we went to the store it took Ying some time to pick the exact offering she had in mind. When all was said and done we left the store 80,000 kip lighter and had 7 care packages each containing a bottle of milk, a bottle of water and a tin of fish. We were ready!

As the next morning dawned I was at my post on the balcony, smoking a cigarette and patiently waiting for any sign of orange robes. Just as I finished my cigarette I noticed orange robes on the horizon and when I turned to tell Ying that it was time I noticed another group or orange robes coming from the opposite direction. I hadn’t thought about this predicament and wondered how Ying would react to the news. I didn’t tell her till we went downstairs and as we walked out of the hotel lobby there was a line of monks in front of her and another across the street where we gave alms previously.

She looked at each set of monks and then proclaimed that we must cross the street as those are our monks and besides this line had 13 monks and we weren’t prepared for that. So, we crossed the street just in time to give the alms and receive the monks blessing, which is quite beautiful in the wee hours of the morning. Below is a video of Ying handing out her offerings and of the monks singing the blessing. You might have to turn up the sound some as it came out on the low side.

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For those readers who are living in America there will be an interesting documentary on PBS coming up on April 7th entitled The Buddha. Narrated by Richard Gere, who is himself a devout Buddhist, and shot by award winning filmmaker David Grubin The documentary will tell the tale of Buddha’s life.

Featured will be the works of renowned artists who throughout the ages have been inspired by and have re-created the likeness of Buddha in many art forms. The documentary will also follow the history of Buddhism with added insights from contemporary Buddhists and the Dalai Lama.

This looks to be a very interesting documentary and might serve to help gain some insight into Thai Buddhism and how it relates to the culture we love so much.

For those not in America the whole documentary is already up on Youtube but you’ll have to figure out how to piece the many different videos into the correct order.  The DVD can be purchased from PBS. For more information on this upcoming PBS Buddha documentary check out The Buddha on PBS. You can watch a preview below.

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October 1st through October 4th will see yet another festival celebrating the end of Buddhist lent ( Ok Phansa ), The Sakon Nakhon Wax Castle Festival.

The ancient tradition passed down through the ages, originated with the people of Sakon Nakhon carving elaborate trees from poles made of bees wax that they would take to the temple as an offering to make merit. This tradition has grown over the years from ornate trees to elaborate carvings of Buddhist temples and shrines completely made from bees wax.

According to Buddhist religion upon death a person passes on to another life, the quality of that next life is determined by meritorious acts and or good deeds performed in this life. If the person practices the principles of Buddhism and engages in acts of devotion in their life they will gain merit and that merit will accumulate and lead to higher spiritual enlightenment in subsequent lives where they will live in the upper tiers of heaven. If that person doesn’t gain merit then they will be reborn to a life that is worse than their present life.

The wax castles symbolize the ideal spiritual life that one aspires to in the next life. The wax castle festival falls into the Buddhist precept of merit as communal merit making. Many who are blessed with merit coming together for the greater good of the community. This is a special time of the year for families to get together and reunite in merit making activities. The family and community come together with the monks in an expression of Buddhist devotion that strengthens and bonds the family and community with the temple.

This is truly another Thai festival that must be seen. It’s four days of non stop activities includes the Royal boat parade, a light and sound show, a large community dinner and closing  with  the Wax Castle Parade. You can see videos below of the Wax Castle Parade last year.

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I first found out about this annual festival held in Nakhon Phanom last year through a series of cryptic e-mails my girlfriend had sent with pictures of beautiful illuminated boats attached. I say cryptic but the reality of the situation was that she couldn’t explain about the festival in English but she hoped I could figure it out.

It took a while but I finally solved the puzzle and the reward was the Illuminated Boat Procession Festival.  The Festival,  as well as other festivals in the region,  marks the end of Buddhist Lent. The Thai’s believe that Buddha spent the last three months, or Buddhist lent,  in heaven preaching to his mother.The illuminated boat festival is the Thai way of paying homage to Buddha’s return.

The once ancient festival originally included very small boats made of banana tree trunks or bamboo that were illuminated with candles and lanterns and decorated with many lit joss sticks before they were launched into the Mekong. Today the boats are much more extravagant and the ancient rite has turned into a competition as well.

Now every year invitations are sent out to the various temples, organizations and citizens to take part in the beautiful competition. This year the illuminated boat festival,  which takes place in Nakhon Phanom,  begins on September 29th and will go through October 15th with many boats and people taking part. As well as the beautifully illuminated boats the festival also includes nightly fireworks.

The Mekong at night as seen from Nakhon Phanom is a beautiful sight in and of itself,  the illuminated boat festival will only make it more spectacular and definitely a must see.

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As I said in an earlier post on Bangkok’s Giant Swing I had very little time in Bangkok last trip and many things to see. My first trip to Wat Suthat was cut short due to torrential downpours but I eventually found some time a few days later to revisit the Wat. Little did I know at the time the rich history of this particular Buddhist temple I just knew it was beautiful and I really wanted to see it. Unfortunately the weather and my camera’s memory card didn’t hold up well this day so a return trip is in order.

Wat Suthat is over 200 years old and considered to be one the most important Buddhist temples in Thailand.  The building of Wat Suthat began in the early 19th century under King Rama I and took over 30 years to complete. It is home to many beautiful Thai/Chinese bronze sculptures including one Buddha statue from the SukhoThai period that dates to over 600 years old and is 25 meters tall. This statue was floated down river over 200 years ago to become part of  the temple. Wat Suthat is also home to the ashes of King Anand Mahidol who was the brother of Thailand’s current King.

There has been ongoing restoration of the temple in past years including a joint Thai/German project to restore the wall murals and in 1999 the temple commissioned a western Mahayana Buddhist painter, Brian Barry, to design and paint the platform door paintings in the preaching hall. A first as no other time has a non Thai person been allowed to do work on a royal Thai temple.

One of the largest draws to Wat Suthst is it’s connection to Mahayana Buddhism and the Phra Kring, a Buddhist amulet that looks like a Mahayana Buddha and makes a ringing sound when shaken. The Thai people believe that this particular amulet has the power to affect ones health. These amulets can be bought at the temple and are very prized possessions by those who purchase them.

Wat Suthat is a working temple and you will see many monks as you stroll through the compound. If you have the chance to see Wat Suthat later in the day,  around 6 pm,  then you will be witness to a large gathering of monks coming to the preaching hall for their daily chants.

Wat Suthat is steeped in rich history and Buddhist lore and is easily one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. If you are heading for Bangkok then this is indeed one place that should be on your list to visit. I know I’ll be making a return visit.

More pictures can be seen of Wat Suthat and the Giant swing in the Gallery Wat Suthat.

The below video is a short look at Wat Suthat.

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Bangkok’s Giant Swing

In my quest to see the finer things on offer in Bangkok I was armed with a list of places to see my last trip. Knowing I would only be in Bangkok five or six days made it a mad scramble to get everything in and some days,  such as the day I visited Wat Suthat, the weather wasn’t cooperating.

History of the Giant Swing

You’ll know you are getting close to Wat Suthat when you see a large red arch high in the sky. This is the giant swing that is just outside the temple. Originally built in 1784 by King Rama I,  it was placed in front of the Devasathan Shrine in Bangkok. It was later rebuilt in 1920 after a lightning strike and moved to it’s current location just outside Wat Suthat. Major repair work was done again to the giant swing in 2005-2006

The giant swing is rooted in Hindu and Indian beliefs and was part of an annual Brahmin Ceremony called ” Tri-yampawai ” or swing ceremony held in the first lunar month of the Thai lunar calendar. During the ceremony men would try to swing their way to the very top using long ropes in hopes of grabbing a bag of coins placed there.

The giant swing ceremony is a representation of the epic myth in which Uma Devi makes a bet with Shiva whereby a serpent is suspended between two Putsa tress over a river and swinging back and forwards to aiming to strike Shiva to make him fall and thus signify the end of the world. Shiva stands in its path on one leg with the other crossed and when struck does not fall thus signifying that the creation of the earth was sound, secure and would remain strong.

It is believed there was a mandate at one time to have a giant swing in every major city, and while it’s certain that there were other swings erected this swing is the only known swing to still exist. In 1932 the ceremony itself was banned due to many serious and fatal accidents.

The original timbers of this rebuilt giant swing are now housed at Bangkok National Museum. The main poles of the structure are made of teak and are over 30 meters in height and 3.5 meters in circumference. The base supporting the teak timbers are 20 meters high and 2.3 meters in circumference.

I didn’t make it into Wat Suthat this day because soon after the above picture was taken the skys opened up and it rained buckets until the sun went down. But I did make it to see the Giant swing and that was well worth getting wet for. I have to thank Martyn over at Beyond the Mango Juice for letting me know about the treasure that is bangkok’s giant swing.

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