A Long Journey

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" - Lao Tzu

Lao Tzu, the 6th century B.C Chinese philosopher and poet, is correct however in our household and for a journey of over 8,300 miles, the journey actually begins not with one step but with a special ritual.

In 24 hours we will commence our journey to America - a journey that will take 30 hours or more from our doorstep to the doorstep of my parent's home on the East Coast.  In America we will also be visiting Olympic National Park on the West Coast and Glacier National Park in Montana.

I have been very busy lately making all the necessary arrangements.  Thanks to the wonder and power of the Internet, researching and making the arrangements is possible - 8 flight legs, 5 hotel stays, and 3 car rentals.  I will be 65 years soon and I along with all the other baby boomers have witnessed a revolution - an information revolution.

When I was a young man, there was no Internet.  To plan, let alone research such a trip, people had to rely upon travel agents.  Like most of our trips, in doing the research I revise plans and arrangements as I discover more information.  With the Internet I can review photographs of the hotels as well as read reviews from recent customers.  I also can shop for better prices and ... better values. There is no worry about being surprised by "No Vacancy" signs during our travels - a distinct problem in and around national parks in July!

Going on such a grand journey also presents some challenges to my wife, Duang.  Besides traveling half way around the world, this journey is like traveling to the end of the world - her world.  Duang is a very devout Buddhist along with Animism as well as Brahmanism.  In America, she will be far removed from kindred spirits.  Thankfully she is very adaptable and has managed quite well on previous trips.

However, there is nothing wrong with properly preparing for such a journey.  For me the proper preparation is planning and scheduling the entire trip.  For Duang, proper preparation involves spiritual matters - which brings us to today's activity.

This morning we drove out to Ban Mat to visit Luang Por Pohm Likit, the Forest Monk. After the typical merit making of offering food to him, and eating the food that he did not take with the local people, we went to his quarters for a special blessing.

Duang sat on a plastic chair just outside of his quarters, half of which is a shrine.  The half of his quarters is open visiting space and a small enclosed area where he sleeps.

Duang About To Receive Special Blessing

After making some preparations which included some chanting and burning a white candle so that the melted wax dropped into a Monk's bowl filled with water, Luang Por Pohm Likit walked up behind Duang.

As Duang sat in the chair with her hands in the wai position, the Thai gesture of respect, he sprayed water upon her using a rough brush made of very thin strips of bamboo.

Luang Por Pohm Likit Prepares to Bless Duang

As he sprinkled the water on Duang, the Monk was softly chanting in Lao words to the effect of "Good luck to you.  Have a good and safe journey.  Buddha take care of you.  Ghosts and spirits do not go into you.  Don't be afraid.  Good luck for you"  Since Duang and I are inseparable during our travels I am assuming that I am also covered by the blessing.

As the ritual was proceeding, Duang was inwardly focused on thanking Luang Por Pohm Likit as he chanted, thanking Buddha, thinking about good luck for us, and our safe as well as happy return"

The act of sprinkling water on Duang was the transference of merit and blessing from Luang Por Likit to Duang -  a process and belief that I wrote abut in a recent previous blog entry.

Upon completion of this blessing, Duang with wet and wax flaked hair, went to the shrine in the Monk's quarters to perform additional merit making - three different locations at the shrine.  The "three" locations and separate offerings were not by chance.  It is a dominant theme in Buddhism - showing respect and devotion to the three "gems" of Buddhism - Buddha, the Teachings of Buddha, and the Sanga (the Buddhist religious clergy)

Duang Making Offerings At Luang Por Pohm Likit's Shrine

Upon completing her offerings at the shrine, Duang and I bid Luang Por Pohm Likit a traditional farewell and promising to see him upon our return.  On our way to our truck we received the best wishes from the local people for our grand journey.

Earlier in the morning, Luang Por Pohm Likit gave us two special talisman to carry with us on our journey.  The talisman were from India and were anatomically correct images naturally occurring out of tree bark of Buddha as a man and as a woman in his previous lives before attaining enlightenment.  Upon our safe return, and the completion of their task we will return these precious objects to Luang Por Pohm Likit.

We returned home and Duang commenced to pack her suitcase with enthusiasm.  Fortified with special blessing and the talisman, she is prepared to take her journey to the end of her world.

Korb Siarn Khru Ceremony In A Small Village

Back in March, my wife and I went on a special trip to the area west of Bangkok.  The main purpose of our journey was to observe and experience the Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival.  As I learned, the main purpose of the Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival is to conduct a Wai Khru ceremony.

In a Wai Khru ceremony, devotees pay homage and demonstrate their respect for their teachers and the deities associated with their art or practice.  The term, "teachers", is not restricted to the people who are employed to teach reading, writing, and arithmetic.  Teachers in this sense of the word includes all those that have instructed, inspired, and trained others in a wide variety of matters.  Buddha is considered to be the greatest of teachers.  There are teachers of many things such as music, dance, martial arts, astrology, traditional healing, and magic.

The Wai Khru ceremony is not a Buddhist ceremony although Buddhism is often involved in the ritual.  The origins of the Wai Khru ceremony are in the Animist and subsequent influence of Brahmanism.  Animism was the original religious belief system of the native peoples of Thailand and in particular the inhabitants of the region referred to as Isaan (Northeast).  The history of Southeast Asia is fraught with migrations, wars, invasion, and subjugations. One of the consequences of the turbulent past was the spread of different religions and philosophies.  One of the religions that spread to Thailand was Brahmanism, the precursor of Hinduism, originating in Northern India but most likely spread in Thailand from Cambodia as part of the Khmer Empire.

Rather than eliminating the former Animist practices, beliefs and rituals with the arrival of Brahmanism, the old traditions were assimilated into the new system.  The same thing occurred later when Buddhism arrived from Ceylon.

This all makes for a very interesting and quite often confusing religious system which is practiced here in Isaan today.  Today, 95% of the Thai people are Theravada Buddhists but a vast majority of the Thai people's religious beliefs, practices, as well as rituals are vestiges or heavily influenced by Animism and Brahmanism.  The Wai Khru Ceremony is one example.

Table of Offerings for Wai Khru Ceremony - Tahsang Village

At the Wai Khru Ceremony conducted at Wat Bang Phra, the energy and powers of magical tattoos, called "Sak Yant" were renewed.  The former Abbott of Wat Bang Phra, Luang Phor Penn, was world famous for the powers of his tattoos.  Thousands of his devotees and thousands of foreigners make the pilgrimage to Wat Bang Phra for the Wai Khru ceremony.

My ambition and goal in photography is "to show extraordinary people doing ordinary things.  In so doing, I wish to show how different people appear, to provide a glimpse of other cultures, to celebrate the diversity of mankind, and to demonstrate that despite our appearances, we are so much alike"

Attending large and well known events such as the Wat Bang Phra Tattoo Festival provides opportunities to meet my ambition and achieve my goals in regards to photography.  However I prefer the smaller, more intimate venues where there are not television cameras, reporters, or thousands or even hundreds of tourists.  These events and venues, where the people are conducting rituals for their own benefit offer much better opportunities to experience and better understand the event and its impact on the people.

Living in Thailand and being married to an ethnic Lao, gives me many opportunities to experience and photograph "extraordinary people doing ordinary things."  Often I have opportunities to experience and photograph "ordinary people doing extraordinary things"  Often my wife will get a phone call from the extended family notifying her of some ritual, event, or thing that they believe that I would like to photograph.  Just as new religious systems have been assimilated, I have been assimilated into Duang's extended family.

Such an opportunity occurred on May 1.  Duang had gotten a call earlier in the week that a Wai Khru Ceremony was going to happen at the "Outside" Wat in Tahsang Village.  We drove out to the Wat under the bright and hot sun through the parched sugar cane fields to the "Outside" Wat (the Wat outside of the village as opposed to the Wat inside the village)

Pig's Head Offering

At the perimeter of the Wat's grounds, near the small huts were the Monks sleep, we went to the small shrine.  We had gone to the small shrine a few times for special rituals where Duang and her friend would be doused with buckets of water by the Monk in a special ritual and when Duang's brother received some special blessing while wearing an ornate mask.  Visiting this shrine is not a common occurrence.

Three pavilions had been erected around the shrine with plastic chairs set up for people  to sit out of the strong sun light.  In front of the shrine a large folding table covered with a white cloth had been set up.  Upon the white cloth covered table there were many objects associated with the upcoming ritual.

There was a Pahn Sii Khwan, a centerpiece made by local women out of fresh banana leaves, jasmine buds and chrysanthemums, along with a smaller handmade arrangement on the table along with food offerings to the spirits and deities. The main food offering was a  cooked pig head.  Offerings of a pig head are not common and typically reserved for special occasions. There were also offerings of eggs, pineapple, cooked prawns, sweet potatoes, coconut, cooked duck, oranges, limes, bananas, mangoes, prepared bananas, sticky rice and coconut wrapped in banana leaves, and some bowls of special desserts.

Ruesi Mask - "Siarn Ruesi"

The table also had a silver colored pressed metal ornate tray upon which rolled up sii sein string, a tiger skin cloth and a full life sized Ruesi mask (Siarn Ruesi) and a pumalai of chrysanthemums along with jasmine buds.  The items all symbolize things for and in the ritual.  Pumalai symbolize and celebrate beauty of this life but as they age and deteriorate they remind people of the impermanence of this life as well as the fate that awaits all of us.  The tiger skin patterned cloth is symbolic of Ruesi, hermits of the forest some of who make Sak Yant (magical tattoos). In another  silver colored pressed metal ornate tray containing the sweet potatoes were lotus flower buds, white candles and joss sticks. There was also a large tray of chrysanthemum petals on the table along with an ordinary serving tray of pumalai.

The young Monk of the Wat performed an typical offering ritual outside at the white covered table while devotees sat in chairs underneath the pavilions.  After completing this part of the ritual, he went inside of the shrine for the remainder of ceremony.

Devotees At the Wai Khru Ceremony

Ruesi Shrine

The Ruesi shrine was very congested.  One wall of the room was covered with statues and masks related to Ruesi.  Ruesi is a hermit sage that is prominent in several legends as well as stories in Thai folklore.

Ruesi was and are hermit sages who spend their time meditating and developing their psychic powers - sort of like wizards.  They collect magical herbs, and minerals.  Using magical ingredients they produce love charms, spells and powerful amulets. The goal of the Ruesi is to help others have a happier life by telling fortunes, conducting rituals and making spells to reduce the effects of bad karma.  Ruesi also are able to ward off evil spirits.  They also help people by protecting them from enemies.  Certain rituals performed by Ruesi can bring good luck and fortune to their devotees.  Some of the Ruesi make Sak Yants, the magical and powerful tattoos know throughout this world.

I was about to dip my toes, if not enter, into a new world, the world of the occult in Thailand - "Saiyasart" (waes -magical spells).

As Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz - "Toto, I've a feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore" or at least any parts of Kansas that I visited some 20 years ago!

One of the most important Ruesi rituals is performed once a year is the Korb Siarn Khru - laying the Ruesi mask of the master teacher, Ruesi Por Gae, on the devotee  The Korb Siarn Khru is performed during the Wai Khru Ceremony.  The Siarn Ruesi mask is a full sized mask with head dress with an open mouth, three eyes, two teeth sticking out of the mouth, a moustache, and a beard.  There are also masks of other deities within the Ruesi pantheon - some of them being tigers, elephants, yaks (giants) and other creatures.

 

 

Inside of the shrine there was a matrix overhead formed by stringing sii sein  across the room in a checkerboard pattern.  Where the sii sein intersected, separate lengths of sii sein were coiled up.  As the devotees entered the shrine they uncoiled the sii sein and wrapped the free length around their head connecting them physically and spiritually to the Buddha image in the coroner of the room, the Ruesi image and the items used by the Monk in the ritual.

As their turn arrived the devotees would place themselves in front of one of the two Monks involved in the ritual.  Once in place they would make an offering and give it to the Monk.

Making Offering

After accepting the offering, the Monk would start chanting.  It was a special chant called a "Kata".  Chanting a Kata is necessary to cast a spell.  As the Monk was chanting, he selected a Ruesi mask and placed it over the face and head of the devotee.  As the Monk's chanting became louder and more animated, the devotee tensed up with his arms and hands becoming rigid as if going into a cationic state or becoming possessed.

Placing a Ruesi Mask On A Devotee

Monk Chanting A Special Kata To Cast A Spell

The devotees would grunt, howl, and screech the sounds of the animal or deity that was possessing them - their spirit.  The devotees would then start to writhe, crawl, jump, and hop as the spirit took control of their body.  To prevent damage to the devotee, Monk, observers and the shrine, layperson assistants flanking the devotee, would restrain the devotee as the possession reached its apogee.  The Monk would then blow upon the devotee to energize the Sak Yant tattoos and to complete the transference of the spell.  The Monk would then remove the mask.  The devotee, physically and emotionally spent, would then perform a wai (bowed, raised hands clasped in prayer position - Thai demonstration of respect and gratitude) before leaving the shrine.

So what was that all about?

In the Korb Khru ritual, devotees believe that they receive very powerful blessings, are rid of evil influences and black magic is eliminated,  In addition, the merits and strengths of the ancient Ruesi Por Gae, the master teacher of all Sak Yant practitioners.  The Master Teacher, Kroo, protects devotees of his teachings that have passed through the ages amongst the teachers from word of mouth.

I learned from Duang that the young Monk at the "Outside" Wat had studied under Luang Pi Nunn at Wat Bang Phra.  People often remark that it is a small world obviously referring to this physical world but apparently the spirit world is also somewhat finite.

Unlike the Wai Khru Ceremony at the Wat Bang Phra which lasted approximately one hour, the Korb Siarn Khru and subsequent Wai Khru Ceremony at Tahsang Village lasted from 9:30 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.  People, all of them from local villages, arrived by motorbike or pick up truck.  There were no tourist vans or tour buses. It was a event for ordinary people - local people.  It was an extraordinary event - a great opportunity for photography and a special opportunity to experience a unique aspect of Thai culture.

This was just a glimpse into the realm of the occult here in Isaan.  Interestingly the occult here is related to doing good and benefiting people whereas my previous view of the occult in the West was that it was related to doing evil.  My goal now is to learn more about Ruesi and the associated practices from the young Monk at Tahsang Village.

There is always something to learn and experience no matter where you are or how old you are if you are only willing to get off the beaten track and interact with the ordinary people.



A Recent Wedding Here In Isaan

 

 

 

 

A Home Wedding In Isaan

This month has really flown by.  May is just about over and only now am I getting around to writing about a wedding that we attended on 4 May.  This month has been filled with trips to attend a wedding, a housewarming, two multi-day rocket festivals, a Wai Khru ritual, a Mahlam Show, most importantly of all - renewing my Long Stay Visa for another year along with obtaining a Multiple Re-Entry Permit for a year.

I have also undertaken a new challenge.  I purchased and installed Lightroom 5 on my computer.  Lightroom 5 is a computer program that is used for organizing and to a certain extent post processing of digital photographs.  One aspect of Lightroom that I have been completely obsessed with this month is its ability to read GPS data for each photograph and to interface with Google Maps to show those coordinates on traditional road maps, satellite imagery for the location or a hybrid of the two.  My cameras have never had the capability to directly determine the GPS coordinates.  There are separate devices available now that will determine the coordinates and automatically write it to the metadata in the camera for each shot as it is taken.

Even without the GPS capability of my cameras or with a separate device, I still can determine the GPS location of my over 59,000 shots, digital and scanned slides, through the Google Maps interface.  I can look at a location anywhere in the world and in many locations zoom down to where 10 meters (30 feet) is about 1/2 inch long on the Google map image.  In the case of my wife's home village I can differentiate the different houses.

So for much of this month, I am been in a time machine to sort of speak.  I have been going through the electronic photo files and determining where they were taken and recording that data in Lightroom.  I have been transported in time and space over the course of the past 42 years.  Reviewing each photo and assigning a location ...

"I'm going back in time
And it's a sweet dream" - Best of My Love, Don Henley & Glenn Frey

I am amazed at how much I remember from each individual shot - where I was, what time it was, who I was with and in many cases what my emotional state was at the time.  They say that every picture tells a story.  I have written that every picture tells more than one story with each story shaped, defined, and influenced by the viewers perspective, experiences , and perception.  With being able to see the exact location of the shot and see how it relates to other shots in time or space allows even more stories to be told.

So it was for me in attending and shooting another ethnic Lao wedding in Isaan earlier this month.

Just as with funeral rituals - weddings are "same, same but different"  There is no Theravada Buddhist marriage ritual.  If Monks do get involved with a wedding it is a typical and ordinary merit making ritual of offering food and feeding the Monks in the home - just as you would for moving into a new home, the birth of a child, the death of a family member, or for the memory of a departed person.  There are many common elements in all weddings but there are some large differences mainly attributable to the social and economic status of the bride.

In Northeast Thailand, a region called "Isaan", there is a custom and accepted practice of "Sin Sod". Sin Sod is essentially a dowry provided by the Groom and/or his family to the Bride's family. The payment is a complex and multifaceted act by the Groom.

First of all it demonstrates his ability to support his wife to be - sort of ironic in that many Grooms have to borrow in order to accumulate the required funds for the Sin Sod.

Secondly, payment of the Sin Sod is a display of commitment and respect of the Groom for the Bride as well as for her family.

Lastly, the Sin Sod is a form of financial support for the Bride's family. A large Sin Sod is also a sign of prestige for the parties involved - sort of bragging rights for both families. In Thailand as well as other Asian cultures, "face" is very important. A large Sin Sod buys a great deal of "face"

When a man and woman decide to get married, the man will have a close relative or trusted friend approach the woman's parents to determine the amount of the "Sin Sod" as well as the "Tong Mun" to be paid in order to have the marriage take place.

Tong Mun" is "gold engagement". In Thailand, "baht" besides being the name of the national currency, is also a measure for buying and selling gold. A "baht" of gold here is 15.244 grams in weight. Since gold in Thailand is 96.5% pure, approximately 23.2 Karat, a baht contains 15.16 grams of pure gold (0.528 ounces).

Groom Places "Tong Mun", a 3 baht necklace, around his bride's neck.
(She also received 2 baht in gold rings)

The "Tong Mun" is given directly to the Bride and remains her personal property. Here in Isaan there is a thriving business in selling as well as buying gold. Many women will sell their gold back for a short period of time to bridge over difficult financial times. The gold shops act as pawn shops to help people out financially - of course for a fee - 1%.  Gold shops are located in the malls, in the western style grocery "superstores", and as small shops in the towns.

Kumphawapi is a small town with approximately 26,000 people with at least 5 gold shops that I am aware of. Gold is mainly sold in the form of rings, necklaces, and bracelets. Necklaces run basically in whole numbers of bahts - 1, 2, 3, baht necklaces. The buyer pays for the gold content with a small premium for craftsmanship related to the ornate work of the piece.

The Tong Mun provides security to the woman. Security, for the Bride and her family, is a very important aspect of Lao Loum marriages.

The size of the dowry (sin sod) as well as the "Tong Mun" is negotiated prior to the wedding and is dependent upon  many factors including the age of the bride, her education, any previous marriage(s), if she has any children and also the social status of the groom - if he or his family can afford more he is expected to pay more.

A young ethnic Lao man marrying a young ethnic Lao woman will typically have a sin sod of 150,000 baht ($5,000 USD) and a Tong Mun of 5 baht ( roughly $3,125 USD).  This is a significant financial commitment for the groom in a land where farm labor makes roughly $10 a day and a mechanic at an auto dealership makes $670 USD a month.

We once attended a wedding of a college educated young woman to a falang (foreigner) where the sin sod was 3,000,000 baht ($90,900 USD!) and the Tong Mun was 20 baht.

Procession of Groom, His Family, and Friends to his Bride's Home

In Isaan weddings take place on the morning of a predetermined day and at a specified time after consultation with a Monk who has the reputation for, if not the ability to, determine the future through study of numbers and other things.  He can determine the most advantageous times for undertaking significant events or tasks.

The groom walks to the bride's home as part of a procession of his relatives and local villagers. Mahlam Lao (local Lao music with a driving beat and heavy guitar component) is often played either from the community loudspeaker or from a pickup truck mounted sound system. For this wedding there was loud recorded music from the village loudspeakers. In addition, the groom's "posse" were whooping and hollering as they walked along the narrow concrete village street towards the bride's house.

Members of the wedding groom's procession amuse themselves with copious drinking of local beer and a potent whiskey called "Lao Lao". or "Lao Kao" The groom is shielded from the sun by an umbrella that is carried by one of the procession participants,  a sort of "best man" for the wedding ritual. The umbrella also is the traditional status symbol and an honor for the person walking under it. There is a great deal of energy and joy associated with the walk to the bride's house with everyone dancing as well as cheering.

Entrance to Bride's Home

Before the groom enters the bride's home he must cross two bridges or rather barriers. Each bridge is usually a gold chain held across the doorway, or as much of the doorway as it will stretch across, usually by younger relatives.  If gold chain is not available any flexible barrier will serve the purpose.  Each bridge or barrier is removed by paying a price - 200 baht currency in plain envelopes.

Having paid to gain access to the door the groom removes his shoes. His wife-to-be waits for him in her wedding outfit.  Next to her is a container of water and a small cup.  Typically the water is contained in a pressed metal decorative bowl, either silver or gold colored that is used in merit making rituals involving Monks.  Typically a small pressed metal decorated cup which is often used in the transference or merit ritual is used with the larger bowl.  For this wedding, the water was contained in a plastic insulated water cooler, more like a jug, that is used out in the fields.

In front of the groom is a slightly raised wood or plastic foot stool covered with fresh banana plant leaves. Usually the wife-to-be, as part of the wedding ritual, washes her husband-to-be feet.  At this wedding, the young woman to be married commenced the ritual by first washing the feet of her future grandfather-in-law, and then her future father-in-law before her future husband.  This demonstrated her commitment to the family and respect for the family that she was about to become a member of.

A Young Woman Washes the Feet of Her Future Granfather-in-law

Bride Washing the Groom's Feet

 After washing the groom's feet, the couple enters the room where the ceremony will take place. Upon the tile floor, sahts, woven reed mats, have been placed. A low table or several rectangular brightly multi-colored pillows are used as the focus of the ceremony. An elaborate banana leaf and jasmine floral centerpiece with cotton strings hanging from it called a "Pahn Sii Khwan" is an integral part of the ceremony called "Bai Sii".  The Pahn Sii Khwan are handcrafted by elder female relatives or neighbors.  They are a handicraft that is unique to the Lao Loum culture.  Small bananas, globs of sticky rice (kao knieow), and boiled egg are placed within the Pahn Sii Khwan.  These objects which are consumed during the wedding ritual are representative of good luck, wealth, good health, and prosperity.

Pahn Sii Kwan Centerpiece

The Groom and his family positioned themselves on the sahts in front of the Pahn Si Khwan.  A Brahman, a village elder who is familiar with spiritual matters and rituals, kneels facing the families.

There was a pause - a definite pause for the cause.  No, it was not a bathroom break.  It was a pause for the bride's mother and her older sisters to count, verify and reconfirm the sin sod and tong mon.

The Sin Sod and Tong Mun were given to the Bride's Mother. With a couple elderly women, I suspect that they were sisters, she went off to the side of the assembled families to openly count the offerings.

Counting the Sin Sod and Tong Mun

Counting the Sin Sod and Tong Mun is more of a spectacle than a ritual. A cloth is placed on the saht and the stacks of money are placed on the cloth. The stacks are spread on the cloth and slid around sort of reminiscent of the Shell and Pea games.  Each of the women seems to have to handle each of the stacks of currency several times. The currency is then counted several times to ensure accuracy and to enhance the prestige of the ritual. The amount is then announced for everyone to hear. All the people smile in a demonstration of their acceptance and respect.

The Bride's Mother then bundles up the Sin Sod in the white cotton cloth, hoists the bundle above her head, places the bundle over her shoulder, and leaves the area to place the money  somewhere in the home.

The Sin Sod Is Correct. Let the Wedding Proceed!

After the financial arrangements were verified, the ritual could proceed.

The Groom and Bride lit candles on each side of the Pahn Sii Khwan that remained burning for the duration of the ritual. Around the Pahn Sii Khwan several plates and bottles were placed on the sahts. There were offerings of green leaves, small yellow candles similar to birthday cake candles, bottles of Lao Kao (moonshine whiskey, "White Lightening"). These are offerings to the spirits. There were also boiled eggs, sticky rice, small bananas, and a sweet concoction of sticky rice with banana wrapped in banana leaves. These were offerings used by the Bride and Groom. There was a bowl of water that the Brahman would later use to sprinkle on the families using a green leaf in order to transfer the merit making of the ritual to the witnesses.

Brahman Transferring Merit By Sprinkling Devotees With Water Using A Leaf

The wedding ritual is a sort of "supercharged" "Bai Sii" ceremony, lead by a Brahman, is performed to obtain health, wealth and best wishes for the bride and groom. The Bai Sii ceremony is not reserved exclusively for weddings. It is also used for welcoming guests, conducted prior to or after long voyages, as thanksgiving for recovery from an illness or to help cure someone, and a part of the ceremony where children are named.  The Bai Sii is an Animist ritual common in Isaan as well as in Laos.

The origins of Bai Sii are in the Animist beliefs of the Lao people. They believe that 32 spirits (Khwan) live within us and protect us. The purpose of the Bai Sii ceremony is to bind the spirits within us to prevent them from escaping and thereby causing problems.

As part of the wedding Bai Sii ceremony well wishers crawl up to the Bride and Groom with a money offering.  The offering is placed in their hand as the well wisher ties a cotton string around the wrist of each of them.  When the well wishers have tied the strings, they go outside to enjoy the food and drink (soft drinks, beer, and whiskey) that have been set up. 

The Groom's Proud Mother

During the ceremony the Brahman leads the people through the ritual. The bride and groom kneel before the low table or a stack of pillows with the left hand resting on the improvised altar. Their right hands hold a glass of alcohol - either beer or whiskey. In his right hand the groom also holds a boiled egg while his bride holds a ball of sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf in her right hand.

The Brahman recites and chants from a book of prayers. Witnesses to the ceremony also recite some of the prayers. The prayers call all the spirits back into the body. The bride and groom light candles that are part of the ritual. A long string runs around the circle of the Bai Sii participants in the case of a wedding - the bride, the groom, and their immediate families - linking them together and with the spirit world.

Towards the end of the ceremony, the groom eats the egg and the bride eats the rice. The egg and rice are washed down with the alcohol to help nourish the 32 spirits.

Bride and Groom Make Offerings to the Spirits

The ceremony concludes with the shaman taking one of the cotton threads from the centerpiece and tying it around the right wrist of the groom and around the bride's left wrist. The new wife's family are next to tie strings around the wrist of the newlyweds. Everyone participates in removing a string from the centerpiece and binding the wrists of the groom and bride. The act of binding the wrists is also marked with personal wishes of good health and good luck for the couple.  After the last well wisher has wished the newlyweds well, the Bride and groom give presents to their parents, grandparents, and selected relatives.

After binding of the wrists, eventually the couple retire to the bride's bedroom where they sit together to receive blessings from their parents. They are now considered by the community to be man and wife now.

The couple are now married and recognized as husband and wife by their families, friends and community.  If they choose to have their married recognized and accepted by the government, they will go the district office and have their marriage recorded.  Recording the marriage with the government formalizes their union, and provides some legal protections.

The recent bride and groom have started making their sweet dream together.  I made a CD of these photos and gave it to them so that they hopefully, many years from now, can ... go back in time and enjoy their sweet dream.

Isaan Rocket Launches

Today, my wife and I drove out to Ban That for the third time this week in conjunction with the Bun Bang Fai Festival.  The purpose of our visit today was to witness some of the 200 rocket launches today.

We arrived at 11:00 A.M. to find the rocket launches going on fully.  As we drove towards the village, the contrails of the rockets roaring skyward served as a beacon.

Just as during our previous trips to Ban That this week, it was hot - 38C (100F).  Fortunately we have witnessed rocket launches in Ban That two other times thus relieving any pressures to stay the entire day due to concerns of missing out on something.  Today there was quite a bit of sun as well as the heat to soak up the moisture and strength out of your body.

The launching area alongside of a body of water just outside of the village does not offer very much shelter from the sun.  There are a few trees scattered about the launch area and they were surrounded by spectators seeking some relief from the sun.  Some food and beverage vendors had set up some awnings along with plastic tables an chairs for their customers.  I spent most of my time wandering about in the sun taking photographs but Duang was able to buy lunch and sit in the shade of one of the food stalls.  Her location was also a good place for me to change lenses and to drink cool beverages.

Unlike previous years, there is a big anti-drinking campaign at the rocket festival.  Plastic signs are very prominent designating areas as "Non-Alcohol"  The campaign while not 100% effective has greatly reduced the consumption of alcohol at the event which makes it much more pleasurable.

Perhaps next year or some time in the near future, the people could designate the area as "Non Plaa Daek" (Non-Fermented Fish Sauce) Areas.  The odor of Plaa Daek, at least 6 month old  fermented fish sauce is often sufficient to cause me to vomit - much to the amusement of my ethnic Lao in-laws.  It is even worse in 38C (100F) weather and in piles of garbage from the night before.  Fortunately there was not very much wind so I could easily get away from the smell today.  I was able to take my photographs uninterrupted today.

Typically when I go off to take photographs, especially to a location or event that I have been to previously, I arrive with a preconceived notion of what I want to shoot.  Today was no different.  Of course I wanted some shots of rockets taking off but I really wanted more shots of the rocketeers.  Taking photos of people here in Southeast Asia is seldom an issue.  In reality, people will often call me over to take their photograph so I fully expected to get the shots that I was hoping for.

The Launch Crew Transporting One of the Larger Rockets

Launching of the rockets is a cultural as well as religious activity.  It is also a competition - rocketeers compete to see whose rocket goes up the highest.  Although gambling is illegal in Thailand - oops here I go again with the "the way things are supposed to be and the way they actually are" spiel - rocket competitions present opportunities for people to make some additional money.

Exchanges of cash, sometimes wads of cash, are often very observable at the smaller venues for rocket launches.  At Ban That today, the transfer of funds was very discrete although there was not a large Police presence at the event.



Crews Prepare Rockets As One Is Launched Next to Them

Rockets were erected on launch ramps and launched continually.  Crews would be erecting a rocket on a ramp and another rocket would be launch from the ramp next to them without any regard for the crew's safety.

The launch crews hand rigged the rockets into place.  For the smaller rockets this was not much of an effort - the ground crew members lifting the rocket by hand to members of the crew who had climbed up the launch ramp.  Except for one man who wore a motorcycle helmet, no one wore safety hats.  Just about everyone wore rubber flip flops rather than any type of work boot or safety shoes.

None of the crew that climbed the launch ramps wore safety harnesses or any other form of fall protection.  This was quite a contrast to my experiences in the construction industry during my working career.  As Duang so often reminds me "Thailand not like America"  She is definitely right on that.  However I share these observations to point out the differences and not to make judgments.  Here, people are responsible for taking care of themselves.  There are much fewer regulations and even fewer enforcement or compliance personnel.  It is a different way of living and doing things.



Hand Rigging A Large Rocket Into Position

For the heavier and larger rockets, a pulley at the top of the launch ramp was used in conjunction with two sets of people manning the ground lines to hoist the rocket into position.

Not all of the rocket launches were successful.  In the two hours that we were there, one rocket blew up on the launch ramp - I wasn't in position to photograph it, Duang, based upon my experience at a previous festival, was keeping me on a short leash.  The explosion on the launch ramp reminded me of the photos of a big launch failure of a secret satellite at Vandenberg AFB several years ago - star burst streamers of smoke, debris, and burning objects.  Another rocket failed shortly after launch.

One of the two large rockets that we watched being launched failed to ignite.  This was apparently not a big deal.  The crew disconnected the wires from the car battery located just off to the side of the rocket.  One of the crew gingerly climbed up the ramp carrying a new igniter on the tip of a slender bamboo rod to the base of the rocket.  He unwrapped several turns of packaging tape from the base of the rocket, removed the malfunctioning igniter, installed the new igniter, and replaced the tape wrapping.  Shortly afterwards the wires were attached to the battery and the rocket ignited.  The rocket remained on the ramp emitting a loud roar and large orange flame until it developed sufficient thrust to break the vines restraining it.  The rocket tore into the sky much to the delight of the crowd.

Spent Rocket Returning to Earth, more accurately - the launch area!

One of the smaller rockets created quite a stir.  It launched without a problem but due to a combination of factors returned to the launch area upon completion of its flight.  Fortunately observers keeps track of each rocket and we had plenty of warning.  People started getting excited and started moving out of the area.  The spent casing ended up hitting the ground about 30 meters from where I was located - in an area where people would be dancing later in the day.

Prior to starting our return home, I took a tour of the rocket preparation area - a series of pavilions where rockets were finished for launch.  Preparation activities were mostly finishing off the construction of the combustion chamber inside the rocket and installing the igniters.  The finishing off of the combustion chambers involved swabbing the rocket interior with water and large homemade Q-Tips.  The combination of gunpowder and water stained the ground as well as the clothing as well as the skin of the rocketeers.

Finishing Off the Combustion Chamber

Working On Another Rocker Combustion Chamber

At some of the work stations, igniters were being fabricated.  Igniters are long insulated wires that have their bare tips twisted together.  When connected to a 12 volt car battery, the wires at the tip short out creating a flame that ignites the gunpowder inside of the PVC tube.

Preparing Rocket Igniters

Rocketeers include people of all ages and sexes.  It is actually a family event with everyone contributing or learning from the process.  Launching rockets also attracts many Monks.  Some Monks a sought after for their technical knowledge as well a spiritual prowess related to launching rockets.

A Monk Provides Some Advice

Isaan Rocketeers - The Next Generation

Sometimes A Hammer Is Necessary For Fine Tuning

It turned out to be quite an enjoyable excursion today.  Duang and I were both ready and happy to leave after two hours - the sun, heat, noise and for me - the odors had taken their toll.