New Gallery - Phi Ta Khon Festival

A new gallery has been created for the Phi Ta Khon Festival Lao Loum ghost/spirit masks and costumes at the link below.

http://www.hale-worldphotography.com/Thailand/Isaan/Phi-Ta-Khon-Festival/12601767_ZtrEu#905314353_zo46v

Phi Ta Khon - Sunday 13 June 2010 - Day 2

Sunday, 13 June, was the second day of the Phi Ta Khon Festival and true to what we had been told earlier by local people it was the biggest day in terms of crowds. After breakfast and checking out of our hotel we drove down the hills into Dansai. Being somewhat a creature of habit (Heck - if you find a great restaurant for dining why search for another one when probability indicates you will find many more inferior restaurants) I parked the truck where we had parked it the previous day - across the street from Jao Por Guan's house.

We had been warned that the Police would be closing the road around 8:00 A.M. so we ensured that we had parked prior to 8:00 A.M.. Upon arrival we noticed a much greater Police presence than the day before as well as many more metal crowd control barriers. We walked to Wat Phon Chai which serves as the main center of festival activities. We climbed the stairway to the higher ground surrounding the Wat and took a seat in the shade. Sunday morning was a great deal sunnier than Saturday and just as hot. It was going to be another 100F day.

We sat and amused ourselves watching the activities around us. The upper area where we were located was overrun by the Canon Camera Club from Bangkok all wearing event tee shirts identifying them as Canon Club members and the Phi Ta Khon Festival. Approximately 120 members had arrived to photograph the day's events. A young boy dressed up as a spirit was set upon by several of the photographers. I took a couple photos of the scene because it appealed to my sense of the absurd - a small peasant boy surrounded by a horde of city people each with more than $5,000 of expensive camera gear around their neck and strapped to their back. Even more amusing at least to me, was the efforts of some of the photographers to stage and pose the young boy to achieve a "unique" photograph.

I looked over to the Dansai Folk Museum and saw at least 50 photographers each carrying a 5 to 6 foot long extended tripod scurrying up the stairs to the museum. They appeared to be another tour group of photographers. Even today, I am unable to figure out how so many people let alone people setting up tripods could manage to get into the small confines of the museum that two days earlier I had the premises totally to myself for photography. I have no idea how a photographer could control the exposure of their shots in a small space with 49 other photographers all using a flash.


Around 10:00 A.M. the procession of Jao Por Guan, Jao Mae Nangtiam, the Saen, the Nang Taeng, and Phi Ta Khon lek arrived and just as on the previous day the procession circled the Wat three times. Today the procession included an offering for the Monks - the ubiquitous banana stalk "Money tree".


Several young school girls attended by their mothers sought the shade outside beneath the overhang of the Wat's roof to dress and apply their make-up. The girls were getting dressed into traditional Thai clothing - what appears to be baggy pants with a bundle of fabric on the waistline at the back. This style of clothing is more reminiscent of times long past than reflective of current fashion. Today girls wear pants, often jeans, or the Lao long skirt called "phaa nung" - a wraparound skirt created from a tube of fabric. As I watched the girls prepare for their upcoming performance, I realized that the baggy trousers were not pants at all. A very long tube of fabric - perhaps two or three times the circumference of a typical "phaa nung" is stretched and folded once the girl has stepped into the tube. The flat folded portion of the fabric tube is then run between the girl's legs from front to back to create the illusion of pants legs. A belt and pieces of string are then utilized to secure the garment in place with a bundle of the excess fabric at the back. The girls applied make-up, often helping each other, to complete their preparations.

The girls performance involved playing a traditional game. On Sunday the games that we observed on Saturday were also being played. These girls played a sort of game of tag. They, all but one, formed a line, with their hands placed on the hips of the girl in front of them and started to chant some sort of song. The girl who was not in the line faced the line and at some point in time of her choosing took off after the last girl of the line. The girls in the line all started to giggle and laugh as they struggled to maintain their formation while running away from the girl. They were thoroughly enjoying themselves. It made for some innocent entertainment. It seemed ironic that they had spent so much time preparing for a simple game. But such efforts are not uncommon in Isaan.

In Isaan there is still a great deal of pride in personal appearance. For religious celebrations, people especially women wear their best clothing. Women, especially younger women, do their best to look attractive. For the vast majority of Lao Lom women, marriage presents the best and often the only opportunity for economic security or social advancement. A great emphasis on personal appearance and social skills enhances a woman's chances to improve her life.



At the lower level of the Wat's grounds, people were busy eating, drinking, and watching stage performances. Just as the previous night, there was a dance competition. Mahlam Lao music was provided by student musicians and added to the festive atmosphere of the morning. This was a true family event with people of all generations enjoying the festival. Many fathers were carrying their younger children around in the bright sun light and rapidly increasing heat of the day.

Dispersed amongst the festival goers were phi (ghosts). The younger ghosts carried wooden swords and kept busy posing for the many people taking photographs. Older ghosts, young men around 17 to 25 years old, were also "ghosts" carrying swords. However their wooden swords were actually a wooden phallus with a bright red "head". These older ghosts took great joy and perhaps even pleasure in teasing and taunting the spectators by waving their swords at them - especially younger women. This provided a great deal of laughter from the crowd. On occasion, the older ghosts would tease an elderly women. Perhaps because they had attended so many of these festivals before or due to life experience, the elderly women showed that they could not be intimidated. Often when confronted with a red tipped phallus, the elderly woman would grab the phallus and either give it a couple of good shakes or give it a couple of twists much to the raucous delight of the spectators. This blatant flaunting was the fertility aspect of the festival - part of the ritual involved in invoking the fertility of the land for the upcoming rice planting season once the rains return to the land.

Besides the stage show, refreshment booths, and ghost antics at the lower level, there was a couple tables where children were doing artwork to be judged later in the day. Pieces of A4 sized paper had a Phi Ta Khon mask and "DANSAI" drawn on it in black ink. I have no idea why Dansai was written in Roman script rather than Thai or even Lao script. Children were cutting or rather punching out very small dots from sticky backed pieces of colored paper to fill in the outlines on the paper. The results were extremely impressive. Some of the completed pieces were mounted, framed and displayed on tripods near the work tables.

At Noon, Duang and I looked at each other and simultaneously asked "Do you want to go now?". It was not that we were bored or that we were not enjoying ourselves. The sun was bright and the temperature had risen to 97F and we still had a 3 hour drive to return to our home. As we exited the Wat's grounds on to the local street, we found ourselves in the midst of a parade. This parade was much more ribald and raucous than the previous processions. There was a large wooden phallus mounted on wheels that was being pulled along the parade route. There were many more "ghosts" taunting the spectators with their phalli. There was a large black bull float made from chicken wire and fabric mounted on wheels that was pulled along by several Phi Ta Khon. It was very apparent that it was a bull and not a cow, steer, or even a heifer. The bull was anatomically correct and obviously fully functional. Further up ahead there was a cow float that was being mounted by another bull float.

A couple of trucks were in the parade. The trucks were are covered in black with several young men riding in and on the vehicles. It is possible that the young men may have just returned from the Gulf Coast of the United States. They were stripped to the waist and completely covered in crude oil. I don't know if they had been cleaning up the sludge or only swimming in the Gulf - no matter the truth - they were covered from head to toe in black heavy oil. I don't know why but they were having one Hell of a time. Everyone was having a great time. We had had our great time and reluctantly knew that it was our time to leave.

On our journey back to Udonthani, Duang talked about returning next year - testimony to the great weekend that we had enjoyed. I too would like to return next year to better understand and participate in the festival - to witness the launching of the rockets, the ridding of spirits by throwing the masks into the river, and attending the sermons on the third day of the festival. Perhaps I, if not we, will even attend the opening ceremonies commencing at 3:00 A.M.!

Phi Ta Khon Festival - 12 June 2010 Day 1

Saturday, 12 June, was the first day of this year's Phi Ta Khon festival in the Dansai District of Loei Province located in the Isaan region of Thailand. The start of the festival was scheduled to start at 3:00 A.M. The invocation of Phra Up-pa-kud commenced at 3:00 A.M. Phra Up-pa-kud was a monk with supernatural powers. After achieving eternal life, he was given the power to assume any form, physical or spiritual, that he wanted to be. He decided to transform himself into white marble and to live in the Mun River which flows through Dansai. The villagers believe that because of his powers, only Phra Up-pa-kud can protect them and their town from evil spirits. The villagers walk from Wat Pon Chai to a ceremonial location on the bank of the Mun River. A ritual is conducted by spiritual leader of the people, Jao Por Guan, to consecrate white pebbles that had been collected from the river bottom. They then have a procession back to Wat Phon Chai where the villagers circle around the temple three times. A special ritual is then performed at the Wat.

I had considered attending these commencement rituals and mentioned it to my wife. Duang was less than enthusiastic about witnessing these ceremonies at 3:00 A.M. Despite her lack of enthusiasm, I managed to wake up at 2:00 A.M. without the use of an alarm clock. I considered leaving to watch the ceremony but decided not to - I did not want to go alone and rationalized not attending by convincing myself that the lack of lighting would make photography impractical if not impossible. However when I re awoke at 6:00 A.M. I departed for town alone to witness the merit making of villagers - making offerings of food to the Monks. I informed Duang that I would be back to the hotel by 7:00 A.M. When I returned, she was ready for the start of our day at the festival.

We drove into town and parked out truck about 8:00 A.M. across Jao Por Guan's house. Jao Por Guan is the shaman, spiritual leader of the villagers as well as a spirit medium. Large loudspeakers were erected in scaffold towers built in the street in front of his home. Mahlam Lao music blasted from the speakers. Many people congregated outside of his home with many of the people sitting on concrete benches placed around the stairway leading up into his home. The elderly villagers were dressed in white with white cloths draped over their shoulders. Around 8:30 A.M. the people walked up the stairs and entered into Jao Por Guan's home. According to the schedule of events there was going to be a "Ceremony to give blessings to Jao Por Guan and Jao Mae Nangtiam. Jao Mae Nangtiam is Dansai's female spiritual leader as well as a spirit medium. I do not know if she is Jao Por Guan's wife.


Duang and I climbed up the stairs and found ourselves in a large room very similar to the Bot of a Buddhist temple. In the center of the room on the floor we saw a very familiar sight - Pahn Sii Khwan, a banana leaf and floral centerpiece used as a sort of altar for the Baii Sii ritual. A Braham conducted the Baii Sii ritual in front of the Jao Por Guan and Jao Mae Nangtiam. At the conclusion of the ritual people went up to the Jao Por Guan on their knees to tie cotton string around his wrists. A man on each side of the Jao Por Guan supported his arms parallel to the floor for the lengthy time required for everyone to tie a string around his wrist. Duang and I each tied a string around his wrist to wish him good luck and good fortune. I believe that our act also earned us good luck as well as fortune.


Once the string tying was completed, women brought out elevated serving trays, typical of Lao culture, upon which plates of food were placed. People broke up into small groups to eat. Since silence is not required during these rituals, and the friendly nature of the people in Isaan, by this time Duang and I had made acquaintances with several of the villagers. We were invited to join them in dining as well as drinking. A man went around and passed out what appeared to be plastic bottles of drinking water. The bottles did not contain water but were filled with "Lao Kao", rice whiskey. This was not the moonshine that I have written about which is called "Lao Kao" after the brand that is most widely sold and consumed in Isaan. This alcohol beverage was more akin to "Lao Hai" or rice wine that we have enjoyed in Laos as well as in a refugee camp on the Thailand/Burma border. However this brew was far superior - there were no pieces of rice or chaff to strain through your teeth as you drank. Several glasses were passed to us by various villagers to wish us luck and good fortune. One of the men that I had been communicating with had made the brew. I complimented him on his skill and craftsmanship. One of the women gave Duang a full bottle for our enjoyment. After dining and drinking was completed the villagers went outside to form up for the procession down the town's main road to the Wat.

Outside the home, the musical director of the local schools was organizing the ban of his students to provide the Mahlam Lao music for the procession. We had met him the previous afternoon at the Wat during our visit. The band was composed of students playing traditional Lao instruments and drums. Their music was amplified using a portable generator and amp mounted on a pushcart. The music which is very animated and infectious added to the festive atmosphere along with the Lao Kao. There was a very high degree of energy and merriment in the congregated people.

Only now that I have been back home and performed some additional research on the festival do I realize the significance and privilege of this start of the festival. I had noticed that the vast majority of the people were elderly. It turns out that they were. We had participated in the ritual along with the Jao Por Guan, male spiritual leader and medium, Jao Mae Nangtiam, female spiritual leader and medium, the Saen, a group of male mediums, and the Nang Taeng a group of four female servants.

Next door to the Jao Por Guan's home young men were getting dressed into their Phi Ta Khon lek costumes. Policemen were in position to stop traffic. The hypnotic beating of drums and clanging of cymbals permeated the air. After awhile the procession was organized and set forth to the Wat.


Once at the Wat the procession mounted the main stairway to the grounds where the temple is located. The procession circumambulated the Wat three times with the Jao Por Guan leading the way followed by the Saen, villagers, and Phi.

Alongside of the temple buildings, children were playing traditional games. One game involved boys spinning heavy wooden tops. About three tops were violently set spinning with a very forceful thrusting motion. The other boys than threw tops at the spinning tops to stop their spinning. It was amazing how accurate the boys were with their throws at the spinning tops.

Other children were walking around on stilts made out of bamboo. The announcer talked about me trying out my skill, or rather luck, on the thin bamboo stilts. I pantomimed that my weight would break the stilts and then showed him the much sturdier columns supporting the roof of the first aid station and indicated that I need stilts made out of them. We all had a good laugh and in the relaxed atmosphere I was able to get some good photographs of people enjoying themselves.

Well most people were enjoying themselves. One little boy around 14 months old, was very scared of the ghosts and spirits. He stood and cried when they came around. I also saw another boy who was shot in the groin by one of his friends shooting hard seeds out of pop guns made from bamboo. He looked like he had had better times before. It was very hot, 95-100 F, so the vendors selling ice cool drinks were doing a great business. Due to the oppressive heat and unrelenting sun, Duang and I returned to the comfort of our hotel room around 2:00 P.M. After a nice dinner, we returned to town for the evening show scheduled for 7:00 P.M.

We had learned of the evening show from the Musical Director. Five schools were putting on a show of music, singing, and dancing. The show was held on the stage at the lower level of the temple grounds. Without exaggerating in the least I believe that Duang and I were the only non-relatives or school staff watching the show. In total there were about 50 people watching the show. This was such a shame because the children put on a fantastic two hour show. Duang and I spent two hours continuously smiling over the children's efforts. My favorite moment of many memorable moments, was a group of school children dressed up as Phi (ghosts). Their costumes were made out of strips of thin plastic milk carton advertising. I believe that the children were about 5 or 6 years old. They danced to THE party song or perhaps it could be considered the Isaan anthem "Tee Hoy". "Tee Hoy" has a driving beat and double entendre lyrics that captures the spirit of the Lao Loum people - think in terms of "Dixie" for the South or "Joli Blond" for the Cajuns of Louisiana. It is a song that when it starts up you just want to start dancing. Of course you have to dance to it in the Isaan style - a sort of country stomp which the little tykes captured perfectly.

The show was over at 9:00 P.M. and we made sure that our appreciation as well as compliments for such an entertaining evening were conveyed to the Musical Director and school officials. The children had done a wonderful job and it was gratifying to us to see that they are learning about their culture. At all the events that we have attended in Isaan, be it shows, weddings, funerals, and festivals we witnessed the children developing an awareness as well as an appreciation for their heritage and culture.

Phi Ta Khon Festival - Friday 11 June 2010

While back in the USA, I had used the Internet and determined that the 2010 Phi Ta Khon Festival was going to be held June 11 to June 14 this year - despite some websites indicating that it is going to be held at the end of this month. When I found the actual schedule of events for the Festival along with the Mayor's message indicating that the celebration was 11 June to 14 June, I was confident as to when the event would start. I wanted to witness this unique Lao Loum cultural event. Upon my return to Thailand, I did additional research and completed arrangements for our visit to Dansai for this year's celebration.

Although the event started on Saturday morning - early Saturday morning as in 3:00 A.M., I wanted to arrive on Friday to reconnoiter the area for event locations, best photography locations, and become familiar with the area for parking, as well as dining opportunities before the start of the festival.

The Phi Ta Khon festival is a unique celebration of the Dansai district in Loei Province of northeast Thailand. The celebration is actually the combination of two different festivals. The first festival is the merit making holiday, "Bun Pha Ves", "Boon Phra Wate" and "Bun Phra Wet" - in Thailand Anglicized spelling is more or an art than a science. There are many English spellings as well as pronunciations for many Thai words - this can make travel with a road map extremely interesting if not confusing. This festival involves merit making by listening to 13 Buddhist sermons - the story, The Mahachet, of Buddha's last reincarnation prior to becoming Enlightened.

Associated with this merit making opportunity, there is a Buddhist folk legend that Prince Vessandara, Buddha's last reincarnation before becoming Enlightened, had been banished from his village. After many years in exile and a very long journey he returned to his village. The villagers were very happy that he had returned. They had a joyous celebration to welcome him home. The celebration was so great and loud that it awoke the spirits who joined in the welcome home party - a party that was akin to being so loud and wild that it woke the dead.

In Dansai they have a tradition of celebrating this legend, by preparing masks and clothing to become spirits during their festival which is held with the sixth or seventh lunar month. The exact timing of the festival in Dansai can only be determined by the consultation of the local male spiritual medium leader, Jao - Por Guan, a female medium, Jao - Mae Nang Tiam, and a group of male mediums, Saen, with the spirit that protects Dan Sai, Jao Saen - Muang. In a ceremony the actual date for the Phi Ta Khon is determined.

The second component of the Phi Ta Khon Festival is the Bun Bang Fei, Rocket Festival, which is also celebrated throughout Isaan at the end of the dry season and start of the rainy season. Homemade gunpowder rockets are fired up into the sky over northeast Thailand as offerings to the spirits for the return of the rains as well as fertility of the land.

Only in Dansai, the two festivals are combined into a ghost and fertility festival with merit Buddhist merit making ritual - a unique cultural event.

After a pleasant three hour drive on good roads with very little traffic, we arrived at our hotel just outside of Dansai around 10:30 A.M. After checking in and unpacking, we had a small lunch before driving down into the valley where Dansai. One logistic concern was resolved - Dansai is 15 minutes from the hotel. We found the local Wat, Wat Phon Chai, and parked inside. The Wat grounds were being prepared for the next day's start of the festival. To the right of the Wat there was a nice stage erected for entertainment. To to right of the stage was a set of bleachers with a cover to protect spectators from sun and rain.

The Wat is situated on a mound in the center of the Wat grounds. Staircases lead from the low level where we parked, and where the many various booths were being set up up to the higher ground where the religious buildings were located. On the high ground, the Dansai Folk Museum is also located. We entered the museum and were very pleasantly surprised. We were the only visitors. The museum had several straw mannequins on display wearing masks and clothing of the Phi Ta Khoen, spirits. I was able to spend about an hour photographing the displays unencumbered. I sat on the floor, lay on the floor and crouched to get different angles as well as perspectives of the colorful masks and costumes. During my shooting, Duang spoke with the museum employees to determine the locations for the various events over the next three days. This being Isaan, she was soon involved in animated conversation with them as if they were relatives reunited after a long absence. Once again the Lao Loum sense of community was very evident and apparent.

The Phi Ta Khon masks are created out of the base of coconut trees, huad, and wood. The huad along with the reed wind instrument, the khene, the pakama, and the long skirt for women are the ubiquitous symbols of Lao Loum, lowland Lao culture. The huad is a quasi conical shaped woven bamboo basket that is used to steam kao kniouw (sticky rice) that is the staple of the Lao Loum diet. After soaking in water overnight the sticky rice is placed in the huad which in turn is placed over an urn of boiling water over an open flame and steamed until cooked. The Phi Ta Khon of Dansai have hats made out of huad.


The Phi Ta Khon masks are beautiful folk art. They remind me a great deal of the artwork on goalie masks in the National Hockey League. The spirits or ghosts have very ornate designs as well as bright and bold colors. They typically have very large and sharp teeth to go along with a large hooked nose. The masks come in many different colors.

The Phi Ta Khon wear clothing, imitating burial shrouds, made from strips of cloth from sheets and blankets. The result is a very colorful and intricate costume. The costumes reflect a great deal of pride and skill of the villagers. It is impressive to see such local craftsmanship and artistry. Fortunately the impact of the global economy has not penetrated or poisoned the culture in Dansai. Massed produced cheap costumes and masks from China are not a reality yet and hopefully never will be.

After completing our visit to the museum, we returned to our hotel for dinner and an early bedtime. I went to sleep still considering the possibility of witnessing the start of the festival at 3:00 A.M.

This is the first of three blogs about this interesting and entertaining traditional cultural event in Isaan.