Chinese New Year's in Thai Meaung, Thailand

      Friday, February 15, 2013, and we were two weeks into our volunteering experience in Thai Meaung, Thailand.  It was the day of the Chinese New Year's celebratory parade and our hosts Nett and Anders were going to act as tour guides for the event, what fun!

      For us all the action started building up in the afternoon of the 15th, but I expect for the locals it started a little while earlier.  At least I'm guessing that these turtle confectionaries didn't just appear on their own! 

Turtle Confectionary

  The turtles were quite amazing, they came in varying sizes and complexities, big ones, small ones, big ones with small ones, simpler decorations and more complex ones including dragon motifs and peacock feathers.  I was told that these were meant as offerings for the Gods, and the better your offering the more they would favour you.
   
        Just after noon the more active preparations, from a spectator's perspective, began.  People appeared, milling about in the square with even more in the temple.  Incense was set alight, drumming began, the occasional firecracker was set off, and children with flags and dragon costumes appeared.  Things became quite noisy, crowded, and hot.

Small palanquins appeared,

People palanquins

ranging in size from 5 to 8 ft, approximately.  These were of two types, one which consisted of a chair, presumably for a person to sit on, and another which resembled small temples.  These, I was told, were for the statues of the Gods which would soon be removed from the temples, embued with their God's presence.

     Inside the temple, other preparations were proceeding. I could not see much other than a lot of smoke and people moving about, but, since the idea was for those participating to become possessed by the various Gods represented in the temple I am assuming that this is what was happening and the increasing noise and activity level indicated progress in this.

         The noise and activity level inside the temple continued to increase until, somewhere around 1:30, a path was cleared in front of the temple doors

Clearing a path

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 and God statues began to appear.  These were quickly placed in their palanquins, ready for transport.

Placing a statue

Following upon the heels of the statues were the possessed individuals.  Their appearance was rather more showy, with the individuals gyrating around to the music of the drums, and the spectators being careful to avoid looking them in the eye.  The possessed individuals made their way over to what I will call the piercing table, 

The piercing table

upon which was a selection of metal rods ranging from perhaps 3 to 5 ft in length, and about 1/2" in diameter.  Each possessed individual chose a rod, or two, which was then slowly slid into their cheek side on one side of their face, and then out the cheek on the other side.

A pierced individual

         And now it was time for the parade itself.   Palanquins, God statues, carriers, possessed individuals, drummers, spectators, we all set off towards the main street in town.  Being careful, of course, to avoid the rods sticking out of the sides of the possessed individuals heads
 
       Once we reached the main street, the crowd dispersed somewhat, with the main participants(these being the palanquins, the carriers, and the possessed individuals) taking center stage and the spectators (including myself and my hosts) falling back.  We retreated to the shop front of my host's parents, where they, like so many other shopowners, had set out a table of offerings for the Gods. 

For the Gods

Setting out firecrackers

Many shop owners had also set out firecrackers, which would eventually be taken by the parade participants, lit, and then tossed under the feet of the palanquin carriers.  













   



We waited and waited, and then, there they were!  The parade was coming our way!

First to arrive were the enclosed statues and their carriers,

accompanied by a man who would stop and bless the shop owners.  

This was relatively quiet. What followed, however, was a bit noisier, as this was where the possessed individuals again made an appearance, this time to the accompaniement of the noise and smoke of firecrackers, those very same firecrackers set up earlier by the shop owners.  These were tossed under the

feet of the palanquin carriers and those accompanying them creating a lot of smoke, movement, and, well, burn marks on the participants' legs and clothing....  


    







And then, finally, after lots of smoke, banging, and drumming, the parade was done, at least for us.  It continued down the road, of course, and then eventually made its way back to the temple.  After about two hours of excitement and heat, however, my son and I were done, happy to have experienced something completely new in this land of smiles.