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Buddhist Lent candle parade
Nopniwat Krailerg
Buddhist Lent is a period of three lunar months during
the rainy season when monks are required to remain in one wat and when many
laypersons adopt more ascetic practices. In Thailand, it has long been
customary for men to be temporarily ordained as novices or monks for a
Lenten period.
 Chiang
Mai municipality float taking the candle to the temple.
During the annual three-month Rains Retreat (Phansa in
Thai; Vassa in Pali), Buddhist monks are committed to remaining in their
monasteries. The tradition predates Buddhism. In ancient India, holy men
spent the annual rainy season in permanent dwellings. They avoided
unnecessary travel during the period when crops were still new for fear they
might accidentally tread on young plants.
In deference to popular opinion, the Buddha decreed that
his followers should also abide by this ancient tradition. This initiated a
move away from an itinerant life to a more or less settled existence as the
advantages of communal living became apparent. Similar monasteries were
founded in other countries where Buddhism became established.
On
Buddhist Lent Day this year, devout Buddhists paraded decorated candles from
schools and communities to temples in the municipality area.
Phansa represents a time of renewed spiritual vigor. The
monk meditates more, studies more and teaches more. Laymen, too, endeavor to
be more conscientious, perhaps abstaining from liquor and cigarettes and
giving extra financial and physical support to their local monasteries.
Phansa is also customarily the season for temporary ordinations. Young men
enter the monkhood for spiritual training, to gain merit for themselves and
their parents, and to conform to the widespread feeling that until a man has
been a monk, he cannot be considered a mature adult.
Several
sectors presented Buddhist Lent candles to temples in Chiang Mai.
The Buddhist ordination is a mixture of religious
solemnity, merit-making and boisterous celebration reflecting a Thai belief
that the three most important events of a man’s life are this birth, his
ordination and his marriage. The ordination ritual itself evolved over 2,500
years ago and has changed little to this day. Socially, the ordination is
something in which the entire village participates. Village monks comprise
the presiding chapter and preceptors. Villagers gain merit by accompanying
the tonsured, white robed candidate for monkhood (known as the ‘nak’) in
a colorful procession to the monastery. Small children join the procession
which is often marked by joyous dancing and the heady throb of long drums.
 A
young girl on a float at the candle parade.
Presenting Lenten candles during Buddhist Lent is another
ancient custom, starting when the Buddha fled to a forest to escape the
arguments of monks in Gosumphi city after a conflict about discipline. When
he was in the forest, monkeys and elephants served him with fruits and
honeycombs, from which beeswax for making candles was obtained. Later,
residents of the city entered the forest to invite him back after the
conflict had been dealt with and they presented candles to temples to light
them while monks were resting in the temple for three months of Lent.
Chiang Mai municipality this year organized a Buddhism
encouragement week on the occasion of Asarnha Bucha and Buddhist Lent days
at Buddhism Place in Chiang Mai on July 21, parading decorated candles from
schools and communities to temples in the municipality area. On that day,
the parade amidst interested people both Thai and foreigner began at Nawarat
Bridge and went to Phra Singh Temple.
At night, Governor Suwat Tantipat and government
officials led residents around the pagoda at Phra Singh Temple, holding
flowers, candles and joss sticks. Many others did the same at Chedi Luang
Temple and Chai Mongkol Temple.
On July 22, Buddhist Lent Day, residents presented breakfast for monks
and some devout Thai citizens stopped drinking while the private sector was
forbidden to sell alcohol.
Carved
candle that will be presented to the temple.
A float
decorated in Lanna style.
Cloths,
flowers and joss sticks provided for the monks.
The
Buddhist Lent Day candle parade began at Nawarat Bridge and finished at Phra
Singh Temple.
Interested
residents at the parade.
Hanging with the Hill Tribes
Terry Braverman
“Hello … hello…” The only English word most hill
tribe people speak, it’s the initial greeting upon entering their
villages, usually said to draw attention to the handcrafts for sale. The
“I-sell-you-buy” association can be transcended in two ways. If you’re
fluent in the universal languages of music, mime, and sound effects, it
creates a connection beyond words.
A
typical hill tribe basket weaver.
Smiles, laughter, curiosity and engagement abound when I
played harmonica, made faces, or imitated animal sounds in the village.
Ultimately, a guide who has established relationships in the villages and is
conversant in their languages will give you a PIN to access their world and
withdraw cultural understanding, yielding a richer return on your
experience.
The New Year’s Party
If you’re a party animal, the best time to visit is
January, when most tribes celebrate New Year. Rest assured no two parties
are alike since each tribe has its own language, customs, costumes, cuisine,
and spiritual beliefs. And you can never wear anything too outrageous at a
hill tribe party. Their flamboyant attire makes rock stars look like
bankers.
Hilltribe
Dad is weaving bracelets and the little one is already trying his luck at
selling…
The term hill tribe refers to ethnic minorities residing
in the mountainous regions of northern Thailand. Most of them migrated to
Thailand within the last two hundred years from China (Hmong, Yao), Tibet
(Akha, Lahu, Lisu), and Burma (Karen). All the tribes cultivate rice and
corn; some grow other vegetables, fruit, and opium, while the Karens and
Lisus raise livestock. Many of the communities have limited electricity and
no indoor plumbing; homes are made of bamboo and thatched roofs.
 An
old hill tribe woman, her headdress decorated with silver coins, carries her
heavy basket. (Photo by Ananatara Resort)
The hill tribes face many challenges - poverty, drug
abuse, prostitution and AIDS are common. Education is also problematic -
there are few schools on tribal land. Despite their long-standing presence,
the Thai government refuses to grant citizenship to hill tribes, fearing
massive immigration from their brethren in bordering countries.
Hmong People
The Hmong people live high in the mountains near Chiang
Mai, and it was astonishing to see so many pick-up trucks in the villages.
But families are large and roads are virtually impassable, making pick-ups
mandatory. Spiritual beliefs are animistic, and polygamy is common. Women
tend to put their hair up in a large bun, since they’re said to do the
lion’s share of the work, lugging large baskets with broad shoulder straps
and working the fields.
A small
long neck girl poses at her sales desk. (Photo by R. Hohler)
Hmongs have an unusual way of deciding where to construct
a home. The household headman will burn money at the proposed site, and if
nothing horrific happens for a week, they build.
The Hmong New Year festivity, known as “Noj Peb,” is
drenched in colorful regalia and pageantry. An event that makes Chinese New
Year look like a funeral, and it’s not well advertised to tourists. Over
2,000 Hmongs were in attendance, and I saw only three farangs, including
myself. Activities ranged from wooden go-cart races to crossbow shooting,
dance, and rituals. Some kids enrolled me in a variation of ball tossing
that allowed me to showcase my sometimes slick, oftentimes clumsy moves
which provoked laughter. Being among the Hmong was … well, a humongous
pleasure.
Tha Ton
A three hour drive north of Chiang Mai is the picturesque
town of Tha Ton, a gateway to more tribal territory. One morning I
motorbiked with a local guide named Reinato to his Karen village in a
lowland valley. Karens are renowned for their weaving skills, and dress in
thickly woven v-necked tunics of various colors. The missionaries came and
conquered about 50 years ago - one settlement converted to Catholicism,
another became Baptist, yet another went Buddhist. There were no Jewish
converts in the area.
This
house was used as the hospital wing and the old generation took care of
those who were feverish or could not accompany their mothers during daytime.
When Karens move, they carry ashes of their dead
ancestors because they believe souls return to Earth. Marriage is mostly
monogamous, and it’s easy to determine which women are available - single
ladies wear white, married women either red or blue. Some enterprising Karen
men have two wives - one red, the other blue.
We left Reinato’s home and plunged into a dense bamboo
forest with some treacherous footing. The long steep trek and sheer beauty
of the forest left us breathless, as we finally settled into a serene spot
for lunch, Karen style. My guide brought only food, and created all the
utensils from bamboo branches. The rice servings were put into a banana
leaf, then folded and stuffed into a hollow bamboo log with water, thrown
into the fire and steamed. The chicken was put onto bamboo skewers, and the
veggies inserted into a halved bamboo log. In an hour the food was cooked,
and astoundingly delicious!
The Akhas
After lunch we visited the Akhas, who favor the high
country. Their villages have a special entrance gate (two large posts with
an overhead connecting post) to deter evil spirits. They practice animism
with emphasis on ancestor worship. The homes have no windows, and the eaves
drop quite low.
The Akha fashion statement favors black with very
colorful trim, and ladies wear tall head dresses adorned with silver coins,
beads, and feathers covering braided hair. Sometimes their grins reveal
red-stained teeth and gums, residue from chewing betel nut, a mild
hallucinogen. The elderly Akha women are aggressive in their product sales
approach - they attach their beaded bracelets to both your wrists, and hold
out their hand for money. I should contract them to give sales training for
U.S. department stores.
They were piling bracelets onto my wrists as I was
attempting to play harmonica for their excited children, impeding my act in
the process. Reinato just smiled and had that “everyone wants a piece of
you” gleam in his eye.
(…to be continued)
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