Phi Ta Khon
If you talk about a parade that people dress up and walking around town. You may think of Mardi Gras in New Orleans or world famous Carnival in Brazil. Did you know, in Thailand has a little carnival ourselves as well? People may not throw beats at you in this parade but this parade will guarantee an excitement for you guy as much as the others.
Phi Ta Khon or Ghost festival the word “Phi Ta Khon” is a play that participants will build a mask that look scary and colorful. They will wear them with outfit and parade around the local merit ceremony. Phi Ta Khon or ghost festival will only have at the festival that take place around March and July. The parade will have it around 3 days and exactly date will be determine by town’s mediums. The parade is only take place in Dan Sai district, Loey province.
Type of Phi Ta Khon
Phi Ta Khon Yai the body is molded from a large bamboo frame, then wrapping it with a cloth or paper. The size will be larger than average human size about two times bigger. The costume will be decor as male and female with scrap materials obtained locally. The male and female costume will decorate and show its private part. There is an old believe the human genital represents abundance. The costume is not a prank or impudence of those who participated in any way.
Each year, only 1 couple of Phi Ta Khon Yai will join the parade. Person who chosen to be Phi Ta Khon Yai, must be allow from town’s medium. The couple who got chosen will have to participate in the parade every year or at least 3 years on the roll.
Phi Ta Khon Lek this is the play for the children, everyone either young or old can participate in this play. However, most participants are male due to the play involve with lots of acrobat. The participant will dress up as a ghost or monster with a very large mask. The costume of Phi Ta Khon usually have the head part or mask that make with the sticky rice steamer or local call “Huat” which the bottom of the steamer look like a tip of the hat and the face is decorate with the coconut branch. The costume will decorate with color and local stuff like animal bones or horns.
Phi Ta Khon festival will take place about 3 days, first day will be the religion ceremony then the rest will have a parade. Phi Ta Khon Festival is a tradition practiced for a long time to become the province's identity. After the parade the people who wearing costume at the parade require to take all the costume off and throw it in the river, they not allow to bring the costume back at the house. It believes to throw and leave the adversity and bad things away. Nowadays, Phi Ta Khon festival become a traditional that can generate income in tourism to the province and also is a tradition of folklore as well. This tradition preserved for younger generations to watch and learn the culture.
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Photo Credit: tourismthailand
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