The Phi Ta Khon Festival, in Dan Sai District of Loei Province, will take place this year from July 1-3, 2022. The grand parade will take place on the second day. The event Also known as the 'Ghost Festival', it attracts thousands of people to the usually sleepy town.
The three-day event Bun Luang
The whole event in June lasts three days and is called Bun Luang. The 'Ghosts Festival' is held on the first day. The inhabitants of the city invoke the spirit of Phra U-pakut, or the spirit of the Mun river, and ask him for protection. The second day is the famous parade where the locals dress up as ghosts and wear ghost masks. Wooden phalluses are also carried in the procession as a symbol of fertility.
The organizers of the festival hold competitions for the best masks, costumes and dancers. Prizes will be awarded to the winners in each age group. The most popular part is the ghost dancing contest.
On the last day of the event, villagers gather at the local temple. The day is dedicated to listening to thirteen sermons of the monks in the Wat Ponchai.
Origin of the Phi Ta Khon Festival
The Phi Ta Khon Festival is also a special event for Thailand. There are more such parties, but the festival in Dan Sai in Loei province (about 450 km north of Bangkok) takes the cake.
Many tourists come every year, but also thousands of Thai. The exact origin of Phi Ta Khon is unclear. But the story goes back to Buddha's second last life.
The Buddhist Legend: The Story of Prince Vessandorn
According to Buddhist legend, Buddha lived 500 times. In the second to last reincarnation, before he became Buddha, he came back as Prince Vessandorn. This prince was a generous and very generous man. One day he gave away a white elephant, owned by his father the King, to a neighboring country suffering from severe drought. The white elephant was revered by its own people as a symbol of stir and fertility.
The townspeople were very angry because they feared a period of drought and famine. For that reason the prince was banished. In the end, the people felt remorse and asked the generous Prince Vessandorn to return. When he finally came back, people were overjoyed. She welcomed him back with a great feast celebrated so loudly that the dead were awakened from their slumber. The ghosts then joined the feast and celebrated with the townsfolk.