Classroom » Multimedia
Buddhist festival explanation
About this recording
- Creator
- Kristin Post
- Date created
- September 26, 2000
- Duration
- 1:21
- Location
- Trang, Thailand
- File
- MP3
- License
- This recording copyright ©2000. Terms of use
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Part of a ten day Buddhist festival in Trang, Thailand. Here, we can hear Hans, who is originally from the Netherlands, explaining the sights we are viewing in a local temple.
At the beginning, we are looking at something which portrays an recurring theme of the festival, which is that the spirits are coming down to join the human world, either in invisible spirit form, or through people who act as conduits.
As Hans explains, the artwork portraying this and the book of judgment will be destroyed at the end of the festival and recreated the following year. He also mentions the invisible spirits that come from “Paradise,” or Nirvana.
Hans also mentions “piercing.” This is another unique part of this particular Buddhist festival in Trang. On one of the festival days, many teenage boys will participate in a piercing ritual. As Hans explains, it begins with the boys gathering, and a monotone drum played. While this is going on, it is believed that spirits from paradise enter the bodies of the boys, making them immune to pain. The teenagers are pierced through their cheeks or lips.
They then parade around the town with these piercings, through which they insert a variety of things that protrude from their faces, including: swords, a plastic recorder (usually played in elementary music classes), a chandeleir, metal poles, etc. Other boys parade with them, squirt water over their wounds, towel them off, and generally support them. Not everyone does this, only certain males at a certain age.
Hans also mentions the prayer stations that worshipers visit every night. “Smell sticks” are incense.
More about Hans and Ani from my journal:
(day one) Should have brought my Thai book, but more helpful people. A couple, one German, I think, who owns a store and live here- told me about the night market.
(days later)Stopped by Ani and Hans. They invite me to go with them tomorrow. Hans even took me to the temple today and explained what all the preparations were.
Transcript
- Hans
- This is the [inaudible] temple.
- Kristin
- And it’s uh…
- Hans
- The major temple there. And that’s the symbol from the Paradise. So they comes to [inaudible] God stand there, and here they have the book and you look what’s happen in your life. So you go to paradise or to hell. And it’s made special for this festival. At the end from the festival, this all burn, they make it every year new.
- These little chairs there. They are sitting the people from paradise. You not can see them, but the spirit will be sit on these little chairs and they walking with these chairs on the street.
- And the time comes and the people before piercing have at this place drums and monotone rhythm, and the people comes something in the air and the spirit jumps in the body from the people.
- This is the last…the last station. If you come here from different places, then you have this and this to pray and then you go in this little temple there, then come out with the last smell sticks here.
- Kristin
- This will be in the parade you mean around town?
- Hans
- These chairs are moving around. That’s very holy things.
