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Buddhist street parade, description
About this recording
- Creator
- Kristin Post
- Date created
- October 3, 2000
- Duration
- 0:40
- Location
- Trang, Thailand
- File MP3
- License
- This recording copyright ©2000. Terms of use
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Part of a ten day vegetarian Buddhist festival in Trang, Thailand. This parade occurred during the day, and is one of the most unique aspects of this celebration. In this recording, you can hear the sound of firecrackers, and then I describe (with some surprise) how this seems to be with little regard for public safety.
However, the firecrackers are not the most important part of the parade. The participants in the parade are young teenage-aged men who have experienced “piercing.” 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 chandelier, 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.
Meanwhile, the town residents have set up altars outside their homes and businesses, which include tea or water and fruits. And if the one in trance comes to your altar, he may take a drink or some fruit, and offer a blessing in exchange. This is considered a sign of good luck and a good future for the business or home owner.
From my journal:
As I walk back from the bus station, I pass by altar after altar- people in white. I can tell the parade will happen soon. And it happens right away! I set down all my stuff, haul out my camera and microphone, and try to capture it all. I definitely felt my stomach turn at the sight of the boys. One that sticks with me is the one with many glass shards- 2 feet long- pointed in every direction. If I’d seen it in a chandelier, I would have said it was beautiful. It took me a while to realize that they each had their entourage- whose job it was to direct the boy to different altars and to also pour water on their wounds. And they would stop, throw rice, hand out fruit, sometimes write- for the kneeling Buddhists.
