The Thai Pirate - Thai Blog and Travel Stories

Temple fund raiser in Suphanburi

For the last month or so envelopes have been distributed around our local area to raise funds for the Lemon Temple in Suphan. The fund raising climaxes with an event and ceremony at the temple on a Saturday morning..

Its an early start - up at 5 to get ready, and cook up a light lunch for us and the monks. This routine must be the same for dozens of families throughout Suphan...  A good turn out, as you can see from the picture. We got their late-ish, so got stuck with sitting on the floor. Actually its quite an eye-opener how when I first arrived in Thailand I could only sit on the hard floor for about 2 minutes before the aching began.... These days I can manage about 10 without blinking. Probably cos I've lost a bit of weight, am a bit more flexible, I can curl my legs up underneath me quite easily now I'm used to it.

That's Sutiya and Noon counting out the cash from some of the many envelopes collected .. Every envelope has the name of the donor on the front, and after opening, the amount contained inside is neatly written on one corner . . After a few hundred envelopes, the amounts are toting up rather nicely. It's a testiment to Thai character and community that lots of people, who live day to day with little money, manage to find some for the pot.

Throughout there is a Buddhist ceremony in effect. One of the organisers has the loudspeaker most of the time, yapping away, with the occasional chanting... at other times the head monks get the mike for chanting and prayer... The audience sit quietly and raise their hands in the wai on occasion.

After just over an hour, it all breaks up, the monks are passed food by some of the younger members, and shortly after all the temple-goers move downstairs, or on the floor in front of the monks to eat.. Just before we eat, the loudspeakers announce the amount raised - a little over one million baht. Wow. Not bad going for a modest sized temple... All the money goes to the local poor.

Celebrating the Thai God of Art (part 2)

Continued from part 1

The monks have had their fill, and clamber into the back of a pick up truck to get a lift back to the temple. After the excitment of the small ceremony performed by the monks, it is time for the us to pay our respects.

A feast has been prepared over the last few days. A mixture of sweet and crunchy cakes, chicken, crispy and fresh rice noodles, various fruit and veg and yes, you've spotted them already...... Pigs heads.....

After we'd spent some time inside, the food is gathered up and taken outside, to be offered to Pa Wisa Nu. Everyone follows one another into the garden, depositing the food at the front of the spirit house.

Together, we then walk around the spirit house three times. When I first met Sutiya, we both came to Thailand for a holiday (.....to meet the parents), and took part in this same ceremony.

Whilst we were walking around the spirit house, Sutiya's father whipped out a rather smart looking black hand gun, and blasted it into the air for over a minute.

I didn't know whether to laugh or run.

Por left his gun in his trousers this year. I was a little disappointed (no need to scare the poop out of me anymore perhaps...... But it will be funny to see what happens when little sis brings a fella home. ha ha ha) !

Afterwards, everyone retreats to have a generally relaxed day, free of work. Here above, you can see that none of little piggy wiggy gets left to waste.

What did you think was in your pad ga pow moo? ;)

Celebrating the Thai God of Art (part 1)

My Thai family here hold an annual celebration at the house to celebrate the 'Thai God of Art', or Pah Wisa Nu, who represents all kinds of art in Thailand. It is believed that if you take part in such celebrations and prey for him, this will bring us and our workers luck and good fortune in our continued efforts to be successful in our business.

The ceremony begins early in the morning when monks come to the house to sit and chant with everyone in attendance. The praying lasts for about 5 minutes and then food that has been prepared is given to them.

The early start and chanting prove to be hungry work, and the monks busily get stuck in to their breakfast, whilst everywhere else in the house turning to chaos as people clamour about finding things to do.

Thanks is given to the monks after breakfast by Por, and small items and gifts are passed to them in gratitude.

More of the celebration in Part 2.

Celebrating a Grandfather's Birthday

I never met Sutiya's grandfather, he died some years ago. He was a popular man around town so I am told, and every year on his birthday, Mare invites a monk round to the house to partake in a little ceremony to remember him. As shown in the picture above, everyone involved joins one another by touch, and some blessed water is poured into a gold coloured bowl.

The monk places a ball of string in a silver dish, and uses some of the string to link the ashes of Sutiya's grandfather. Some small gifts are then given to the monk, which are placed just in front of him, passed over the silver dish. Everyone sits behind the gift giver, but is linked to her by touch.

The monk then holds his hands over a porcelain dish, whilst everyone takes turns pouring a little water over the monks hands.

The monk then sits and quietly chants in prayer for a short while, sending messages and merit to grandfather.

The lucky fish at Wat Bankrang

You may think that Thailand is a fisherman's paradise, being that the country is blessed with hundreds of inland streams and rivers, and huge expanses of coastline facing out onto several different oceans.

In fact, Thailand can also be a very frustrating place for fishing fans, as we found out when family came to visit last October.

The picture above is taken at Wat Bankrang, a largish temple across the street from our house and located on the Tha Chin river in Sri Prachan. As you can see, the catfish around the temple are 'whoppers', and this is because fishing is forbidden in or around the temple grounds (I believe it's because you are not allowed to 'take life' within the temple boundaries). 

Fishing at other points along the river outside of the temple boundaries is fine, but as these boundaries stretch a pretty long way down the river, and the vast majority of the riverside of the Tha Chin has been bought up by residents, its not that easy to find a spot.

There are many other smaller rivers and streams, located at the roadsides etc around Sri Prachan, but, they don't have such large and attractive fish, and they are generally hard to catch.

You can imagine the frustration of farang fishermen, who stand on the banks of such temples and try to scheme of ways around the rules, and arguments as to why fishing should be allowed.

As visitors are encouraged to feed the fish, they develop into great, big, greedy buggers, who are very much unafraid to leap out and take bait from your hands.

A red rag to a bull, for many UK fishermen!