Songkran was supposed to end on the 17th of April, but I still somehow managed to get soaked Monday! In the morning the city office had a meeting/celebration to honor the elders in the village (which is typically done during Songkran). I got to the office at 8:30 and they were already showing up. There was music and everyone sat under these big tents (to keep out of the sun). We (the “younger” office staff) then went around and poured water (that was mixed with flowers) onto the elders’ hands then they poured the water that was in their hands over their heads.
As we were making the rounds, one of the guys that is always giving me a hard time (whenever he sees me he tells me to “sing song”) decided that it would be fun to pour water down the back of my shirt. I guess I didn’t mind too much seeing as it reached 104 Monday!
After the water ceremony, they did some singing and dancing and then a monk came and they prayed (it is so weird to get used to having religious stuff at a “government” function). Then they brought out these (for lack of a better word) altars (see pic below) and told me that they were going to have a Northern ceremony. They brought out two: pig’s heads and other misc parts, chickens, bottles of whisky, glasses of water, and other misc stuff that they offered to the spirits.
There was then a lot of chanting and a couple of guys tore off pieces of the pig & chicken and placed it in a silver bowl that was on the highest rung of the altar. They also sprinkled water and whisky over everything.
After they finished, they brought the bowls of food up to the spirit house and then the elders took pieces of string that were draped over the altars and tied them around our wrists as they offered blessings for us. It was a really neat ceremony although I could have done without the pigs’ heads.
And guess what we ate for lunch?!? Yep…the pig & chicken that we had used during the ceremony (although not what was left for the spirits). Although I didn’t eat the pig because I think that they gave me the ears and there was no way I could eat pig ear especially when I saw hairs sticking out of the pieces.
I now have these cuffs of string (although it is almost more like yarn) around my wrists and it is so hot out that it is a little uncomfortable. A couple of guys told me that we were supposed to leave the string on for “hah wan” or 5 days and then we could cut them off, but when I showed up for work today everyone had already cut their’s off so I think that I am going to get the scissors out tonight.
As we were making the rounds, one of the guys that is always giving me a hard time (whenever he sees me he tells me to “sing song”) decided that it would be fun to pour water down the back of my shirt. I guess I didn’t mind too much seeing as it reached 104 Monday!
After the water ceremony, they did some singing and dancing and then a monk came and they prayed (it is so weird to get used to having religious stuff at a “government” function). Then they brought out these (for lack of a better word) altars (see pic below) and told me that they were going to have a Northern ceremony. They brought out two: pig’s heads and other misc parts, chickens, bottles of whisky, glasses of water, and other misc stuff that they offered to the spirits.
There was then a lot of chanting and a couple of guys tore off pieces of the pig & chicken and placed it in a silver bowl that was on the highest rung of the altar. They also sprinkled water and whisky over everything. After they finished, they brought the bowls of food up to the spirit house and then the elders took pieces of string that were draped over the altars and tied them around our wrists as they offered blessings for us. It was a really neat ceremony although I could have done without the pigs’ heads.And guess what we ate for lunch?!? Yep…the pig & chicken that we had used during the ceremony (although not what was left for the spirits). Although I didn’t eat the pig because I think that they gave me the ears and there was no way I could eat pig ear especially when I saw hairs sticking out of the pieces.
I now have these cuffs of string (although it is almost more like yarn) around my wrists and it is so hot out that it is a little uncomfortable. A couple of guys told me that we were supposed to leave the string on for “hah wan” or 5 days and then we could cut them off, but when I showed up for work today everyone had already cut their’s off so I think that I am going to get the scissors out tonight.
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