14 September 2008 - Isaan House Warming

Isaan House Warming

As I wrote previously, Friday 12 September 2008 (2551 here in Thailand) was designated to be a "good" day for our house warming celebration.

Duang had visited her cousin, the head Monk, to seek his advice as to the good day to have the house blessed. In Thailand and to a greater extent in Vietnam, important activities are not undertaken without first consulting a Monk to determine the best date and time for commencing the activity.

In Vietnam there is actually a book titled something like "Book of Dates". The book indicates the best dates to have sex, days when you cannot have sex, days to eat dog, days not to eat dog, days to travel, days to stay home, days to move into a new home and so on. I actually moved into my villa in Halong, Vietnam three days early because my landlord had determined that Sunday was the day to move in rather than waiting for the first of the month.

In Thailand Monks are consulted and they give advice on all matter of things based upon numbers, palm reading, and wax drippings into holy water.

Moving into a new home in Isaan is a very big event in Isaan. I knew that un-married guests could not have "boom-boom" (sex) in the house until the house had been blessed. What I later found out was that this prohibition actually applied to EVERYONE in the house! Yes indeed, Friday Number 12 was going to be a "good" day!

Duang was in charge of everything for Friday 12 September. She had a budget and it was all up to her to plan and manage - in the three days remaining from when we moved into the house. Well she did a great job and exceeded her budget by only $30 USD.

Duang planned on 100 to 150 people attending - mostly relatives and residents of her home village - Tahsang. Because the people are subsistence farmers without motor vehicles, Duang arranged for a bus to transport them the one hour trip to and from the village. I suspect that the bus was used by Forrest Gump in the movie to go to basic training. It was very old, no air conditioning, and retro looking with all of its chrome trim but it did the job.

Duang hired a company to cater the meal and her brother to provide the entertainment.

Thursday afternoon, the caterer arrived and set up the three tent canopies in the side street to our house. I had cautioned Duang about having a large party with dancing and drinking without first getting permission and authorization. I guess I was stuck in the USA frame of mind. This is Thailand. Jack said that there is no problem - just do it. Duang spoke with the village developer and informed them. No other paperwork or legalities were required - we just took over the whole street with tents, tables, chairs and a stage.

The caterer also delivered a large ice chest and filled it with ice cubes. All the red plastic chairs were stacked under the canopies. He was worried about people stealing the tables (round plywood disks and folding metal frames) so his workers placed them in the driveway behind our sliding metal gate.

In the early evening the roadies arrived to set up the stage at the end of the street. They worked until 10 PM when it started to rain. It rained most of the night with occasional thundershowers.

Duang and I got up at 3:00 AM. We had planned to get up at 5:00 AM but the excitement of the day to be overwhelmed our ability or need to sleep.

At 6:00 AM the catering crew arrived. Quickly and efficiently they set up all the tables and chairs. The tables were decorated with a red table cloth topped with a white lace tablecloth. While one group of catering personnel was setting up the tables and adding the place settings, another group was setting up the cooking facilities.

Three propane gas bottles and burners were set up in the street. Bags of produce, ducks, whole fish, raw nuts, chicken, beef, and pork were brought out. Large wooden cutting boards were placed on the road and the cooks went to work, cutting, dicing, chopping and slicing - a whirlwind of activity.

Large plastic tubs were set up in the street to the side of the gas bottles. The tubs were filled with water from a hose to our house.

Duang directed her son and his two friends to set out one bottle of whiskey, two large bottles of beer (Thai brand - "Leo"), and 2 two liter bottles of soda for each table. She had purchased them from an outside distributer.

The food preparation continued unabated from 6:00 AM until 11:00 AM when the last of the courses was served. Part of the hors douevres were cashew nuts. They arrived raw and were deep fried in large woks in the street - absolutely delicious.

Duang ensured that all the house windows were not covered including the pulling back of window sheer curtains. If I understand correctly windows are to be clear so that all the light can get through for the Monks and the praying to Buddha.

The previous night, I had set up 9 chairs in a nice circle in anticipation of the arrival of the Monks. I learned that Monks don't sit in chairs to eat. All chairs in the dining room were removed and replaced with multi-colored woven reed mats and small square multi-colored ornate firm pillows. These are what the villagers use for sitting on and resting against in their homes. I have seen many of them stacked against the walls in Wats. Apparently giving them to Monks earns you merit.

Preparations for the day’s events accelerated at 7:00 PM with the arrival of Duang's immediate family. They arrived by pick up truck - all 10 of them along with their comfort food.

The catered meal was Thai food - duck, sweet and sour chicken, soup out of some part of a cow - I think maybe stomach, whole fish. Duang's family although politically "Thai" are ethnic "Lao Loam" - low land Lao people. Just like people in America do, they brought some of their food to the party. They brought their own cutting boards and kitchen devices. They set up in the driveway and commenced to prepare their native foods - Kao Lao.

The Kao Lao would be the food that would be served to the Monks when they arrived at the house later in the morning.

At some point in this bee hive of activity, Duang's uncle who is like a shaman arrived with some very very old people. The Buddhist religion does not have shaman in it, but here in Isaan there is a great deal of animist religion remaining that has become so interwoven in the fabric of Buddhism that it is difficult to differentiate between the two as to specific practices.

Apparently it is good luck to have old people at your house warming - I guess the theory is that they have lived a very long time so maybe their good wishes will bring you good luck for a long life. The old people sat on chairs outside in the car port away from the sun and where they could be seen by all.

Duang's uncle took over the next phase of the House Warming. I was summoned to bring out our two umbrellas. Outside I joined Duang, her uncle, and about 6 other relatives.

One elderly man was carrying the gold colored Buddha statue that we had bought at a shrine in Nong Khai on the Laos border. Another elderly man was carrying the colorful picture of Buddha that I had been given last year by a Monk at a Wat in the wet lands southwest of Bangkok. The shaman was carrying a satchel over his shoulder made out of a recycled fertilizer bag. Some of Duang's aunts were in the procession carrying some of the small square pillows.

We formed up into a line led by the elderly men, me carrying the opened umbrella over my head, Duang carrying an opened umbrella over her head, followed by the aunts and Duang's mother. We walked around the outside of the house three times in a clockwise direction. As we were walking, the shaman was checking out the house very seriously as if he was looking for something. It may have been that he was checking out the location where we "need" to put the two spirit houses that Duang bought to protect the house and us. When I had asked her where they were going to be placed, she said that her uncle would tell us.

As we completed our circumambulation of the house, we stopped at the front patio. The elderly men walked up the steps to the patio and faced Duang and I. We knelt at the first step up to the patio. There was a ceremony conducted by her uncle before we entered the house.
Upon entering the house, the entourage climbed the stairs to the upper level of the house passing the bouquet of large green leaves, small flowers, and cotton string that had been placed on the banister. This green arrangement is for good luck for us - so I am told.

When we got to the first landing of the stairway, we went into the alcove where my roll top desk has been placed. I had told Duang that she could set up her shrine there. Once we were kneeling down in the alcove, the shaman conducted a Bai Sii ceremony. I had written about the Bai Sii ritual before in regards to Isaan weddings - the ritual was now being conducted as part of the house warming. Incense was burned, candles lit, chants spoken, and cotton strings were tied on our wrists to bind the spirits in our body to keep us healthy.

Upon finishing the ceremony, we all went down to the dining room. The Buddha statue and picture were set up on an altar made out of one of the wooden end tables that I imported from my old home in California. Two ordinary drinking glasses filled with rice were used as candle holders on the altar.

Around 8:00 AM a pickup truck arrived with the nine Monks. I recognized one of them as being one of the Monks from Tahsang who was building rockets and shooting them into the sky in August.

The Monks entered into the house amongst a great deal of wais (Thai expression of respect by bowing the head and raising the hands in a praying configuration) from the people.

The ground level of the house was a cyclone of activity with the nine Monks getting into position to recieve their meal, the villagers trying to stay out of their way, and the women putting the finishing touches on the food preparation for the Monks.

Once everyone was settled into position, some very serious chanting started up. It was quite impressive and moving to observe and listen to the nine Monks chanting with the people participating. Part of the ritual involved Duang and I kneeling before the Head Monk and together pouring a glass of water into a plate. When we completed that, the Monk sprinkled us and the other people with holy water shaken from a clump of reeds.

I presented each Monk with an offering in an envelope. There ending up being 10 envelopes for 9 Monks so I adlibbed and did a pantomime that indicated that because Duang's cousin was "No 1" Monk, he got two envelopes - everyone smiled and laughed - including the Monks.

The Monks were then fed. It was a real feast with all sorts of food. It was quite a choreographed exercise to feed the nine at the same time all the while ensuring that only men served the Monks. Women are not allowed to touch Monks or to directly hand things to a Monk - it must go through a man to the Monk.

While the Monks were eating and filling their bowls to take back to their Wats, guests were arriving. The catered meal was served from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM with the entertainment starting at 10:00.

The Monks left around 10:45 and the party got started.

It was great. I had a great time. Every time I turned around someone was filling my glass. I had to get on stage to welcome everyone - I don't know much Thai but I ended up singing out in Lao Loam style "Hello. Welcome. Thank You for coming to Duang and Allen's home" I don't know if it was my charm or the beer and whiskey but the people loved it - I think it was really the beer and booze.

People wanted me to sing so I sang "My Girl" - in English.

The rest of the afternoon until 2:30 was spent drinking, socializing, and dancing, and drinking. Oh yeah I did take some photos and shot some video. I did notice that a couple of times when I thought that I was filming some very good scenes my video camera was actually in standby mode!! It must have been too much sun affecting my mind.

My observations on the event - The people were all over the house but did not go into our bedroom. People jumped in and helped out. The guests did not just sit around and expect to be entertained. Everyone did their part to help set up, and clean. Everyone enjoyed themselves. It was a very nice occasion.

After everyone had left around 3:30 I got to realize that Yes indeed today had been a very GOOD day for us - now that the house was a real home.

As we were preparing to go to bed that night, I made the rounds of the house. I found the shaman's satchel on the floor in the Buddha shrine alcove. I looked inside the satchel and found a very old hammer, a small monofilament hand fishing net, and a hammock made out of cords. I told Duang that her uncle forgot it. She replied "No, No, not forget - stay in house for three days. Good for you. Good for me. Good for we." OK I learned another thing. Downstairs in the dining room I found three small bags of food. Having learned something upstairs, I consulted Duang about the food - sure enough - "No No darling not forget - stay in house for three days. Good for you. Good for me. Good for we". I am glad that I asked first rather than just throwing it out - there is no telling what repercussions there would have been.

Quite a day. Quite a place. Quite a people.

Just another GOOD day here in Thailand.