History
Sat Duan Sip festival is the festival in southern Thailand. Sat Duan Sip festival is celebrated to honor ancestors. This festival is during the fifteen days of the moon period in the tenth lunar month. The beginning of Sat Duan Sip festival is Nakhon Si Thammarat province. Buddhist Thais believe the deceased visit the human world, and the deceased will be released from the underworld.
Contents
Buddhist Thais believe the spirit of ancestors that is not yet reborn. The spirits that no relative, very tall, and hungry is called Prate. Buddhist Thai families arrange in their food container called Map. Map is making by bamboo or silver tray. Each family has different shape of Map depend on they will be decorated with colorful flower, leaf, and cloth. The inside of Map has foods, fruits, and sweets.
Sweets
Each sweet represent different meaning and symbol. There are five kinds of sweets, which are symbols of Sat Duan Sip festival. First, Khanom La is clothing for the dead. Second, Khanom Phong is a boat for transport. Third, Khanom Kong is an accessary. Fourth, Khanom Ba is a tool for playing. Last of all, Khanom Di Sam uses money for the dead.
Activities
On the day of the festival people arrived at the temple at 8 o'clock in the morning. They prepare two types of food, one for the monks, and one for the spirits. The foods and sweets for Prate are put on a high post outdoor of temple because Prate is very tall body. On the floor outside, there was a long table for put foods and sweets. People stand around the table for snatch the foods and sweets. After the monks pray to call the ghosts, people rush to snatch the foods and sweets, which is called Shing Prate.
Moreover, people write the name of your ancestor in a paper, and they placed a paper and money in the bowl to the monk who held the ceremony. People donate money to the temple because they bring the money to develop the temple. Traditional for children and man are dress up as ghosts and skeletons during the festival.
Summary
To sum up, Sat Duan Sip festival is very important for Buddhist Thais in southern Thailand because people make merit for ancestors. Relatives are living together. Poor people or children will have some food or sweets from Shing Prate. Many people come to Nakhon Si Thammarat province to join Sat Duan Sip festival at Wat Phra Mahathat. Visitor can see traditions and a southern Thais way life.