Keeping the Spirits on our side

The village guardian spirits inhabiting the Bue Baan in Ban Phana have been kept informed of the plans to build a new Lak Muang on the site of the old market-place. In effect their place is being down-graded, or at least overshadowed, by the new structure. (See the previous post for details of this.) So a ceremony was held early one morning according to local Isan customs to call the spirits and apologise to them for any inconvenience. I think their goodwill was called upon. If I have it right, there is not much these spirits can do for you, but a whole lot that they can do against you if they are not on your side.

The crowd was not a huge one, but it included most of the elderly residents of Ban Phana, a couple of abbots and a few novices, the District Officer (nai amphur), the mayors and deputy mayors of Phana Municipality and Phra Lao Municipality, and possibly a few other notables I didn't recognise. 

We were asked to be there at about 8 am but we have learned to take starting times to be largely ignored. Besides, we knew that the auspicious time for the spirits to be called was at 9.09, so we got there much nearer to that time. Here we see the spirit expert (a former head teacher from a nearby village) pointing out the need to be precise.

The calling of the spirits was a very serious matter. Some monks will have nothing to do with this kind of rite, but this monk had been called in from outside Phana because he was particularly skilled in communicating with the spirits.

Before long, more and more people became involved in the ceremony...

... the Nai Amphur ... 

... and local people:

The spirits had been offered a generous amount of fruit, but as usual they didn't actually consume any of it. It is always a nice moment in these ceremonies when it becomes clear that the spirits, although no doubt very pleased by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the people who have made offerings, are not going to take up the offer, except perhaps in a very spiritual way rather than a mundane one. This is the moment, you might think, that people have been waiting for. Help yourself (and a few others) time.

And since the number 9 was so auspicious on this day, I had better add one more photograph to this collection. There I was at the end. Just me, a resting monk, and the village guardian spirits at the navel of the village, the bue baan.

Comments

[Martyn]

Lawrence - A fascinating insight to the spirit world which is so important to Thais. Great pictures too.

One thing I have noticed is that in your seventh photograph there's a heavy presence of younger people which perhaps suggests that these type of traditions will carry on for many years to come.

[Lawrence]

Hi Martyn. Thanks for the compliment. Yes, most of my photos of ceremonies have featured older people only. The difference is the flooding in Bangkok -- there are so many people of working and studying age back in Phana at present. Some of them are here for the harvest, too, but that's just about over now. Hope the floods will be all be gone soon, too. There has been no problem here at all, luckily.