5 THETSAKAN KIN CHE ( เทศกาลกินเจ ) : THE VEGETARIAN FESTIVAL Thetsakan kin che, known in English as the “Vegetarian Festival” is one of the most
5.6 Variants of the Thetsakan kin che
5.6.3 The Taoist Festival
moon. On the third day, the ceremonies concerning the belief of the nine emperor gods begin as follows:
¾ Banquet for the Spirit of Soldiers’ Ceremony (Ko Khun)
The ceremony of the “Spirit of Military Strength” (pang kun, ปงกุน) is presented on the first day of the festival in order to ward off the evil around the site of the ceremony by dividing the military forces into five groups, as Wirat Chaokhamin explained:
“These are five armies facing in each direction to protect the ceremony from the evil as presented in these following:
− a 99,000 member army stays regularly on the East, represented by a green flag.
− a 88,000 member army stays regularly on the South, represented by a red flag.
− a 55,000 member army stays regularly on the West, represented by a white flag.
− a 66,000 member army stays regularly on the North, represented by a flag.
− a 33,000 member army stays regularly in the Middle, represented by a yellow flag”. (Personal interview. 29 September 2006)
In the Spirit of Soldiers ceremony, people show their gratefulness to military personnel by offering them food on the third day of the ceremony. The food is of two kinds, one for the men, which is cooked and includes alcohol, the other for the military horses, consisting of beans and/or grass. The ceremony is arranged with a lot of food as a party or banquet. This is the reason for the name of the “Banquet for the Spirit of Soldiers Ceremony or ko khun in Chinese. This ceremony has to be repeated on the sixth and ninth day of ninth month.
¾ Worship the Deity
This ceremony should be realized at home by offering vegetarian food to the Kio Ong Tai Te and by praying the Pak Tao Sutra every morning and evening to worship the deities.
¾ Worship the Nine Stars
This ceremony has the purpose to worship the nine stars from the Kio Ong Tai Te, but it is not to dissipate misfortune as in the festival in the temple. The ceremony is held on the seventh day of the ninth month and the devotees will ask a blessing from the Kio Ong Tai Te. After the ceremony, all the paddy, milled rice, beans and sesame that were offered in the ceremony will be distributed to the devotees as a symbol of prosperity.
¾ Street Procession (see “Trance in the Procession Ceremony”, p. 104) This ceremony is the highlight of the festival. Many associations participate in the ceremony and the processions all over town. The ceremony begins around 8.00-9.00, lasting until 16.00-18.00. The ceremony invokes a feeling full of respect and suspense with its thrilling activities. In the procession, participants include deities’ palanquins; spirit mediums (ma song), percussion ensembles with drums, gongs and cymbals, a procession of flags with gods’ or goddesses’ names and other participants.
Following a belief in the Nine Emperors’ legend, the deities’ palanquins are the most important in the procession and are eulogized as if they were the palanquins of the Royal Family. The spirit mediums are compared to the guard of the Royal Procession, who show their transcendent virtues of deities by self-flagellation.
On this day, the people can participate in worshiping the deities by accompanying the procession or by setting up an altar. People who live along the street where the procession will pass through can set up an altar, lighting candles and incense, arranging flowers and offering fruits, Chinese tea and sometimes lighting firecrackers in front of their house to worship the deity and to ask for blessing.
¾ Lam Tao (sometimes called Nam Tao) and Pak Tao Invitation
Each day of the festival requires paying respect to Lam Tao and Pak Tao by praying the Pak Tao Sutra, which is the most important scripture of the festival.
It is believed that Lam Tao and Pak Tao are the gods who hold a list of births and deaths of living beings, and they are invited to influence the people to lead more meritorious lives.
¾ Bridge Crossing Ceremony (Dispelling Misfortune Ceremony) or Koi Han The main purpose of this ceremony is the dispelling of misfortune and getting a feeling of purification. This ceremony has some other traits than those of the festival at Nakorn Si Thamarat. Here the people bring their paper effigy and some coins, keeping them through the ceremony until the end. Then the paper effigy will be burned and the coins donated. When the people pass over the bridge, the spirit medium will give them a stamp of Kio Ong on the back of their shirt, representinga blessing from the deities.
¾ Fire Walking or Koi Hoi
In Chinese this is called koi hoi (โกยโหย). This ceremony is intended to dissipate misfortune and to prove one’s virtue by walking through the fire. The ceremonial walk is led by the spirit mediums, followed by other participants who desire to prove themselves and become pure.
¾ Noblest Spirits Farewell
This ceremony has the same purpose as in the other variants. The part that differs is that the the deities are eulogized as kings and paid respect to by kneeling quietly until the ceremony is finished. After the end of the ceremony, everybody leaves without looking back until the next day.
The ceremonies of the festival take place in scattered locations: in the Mahayana temple, the Shrine, and in the Chinese Association.
The day of the waxing moon
in the ninth lunar month
Influence from Taoism Influence from Mahayana Buddhism
Preparation day
Set up everything and clean the place Set up everything and clean the place
1st Set up and raise the lantern pole and invite the secret things to the place
Set up and raise the lantern pole and invite the secret things to the place;
In the temple only worship the nine stars with lighting the candles
2nd Chanting ceremony - Offer the vegetarian food and
worship the sacred things
- Pray the Mahayana texts and walk around the area with a joss stick 3rd Chanting ceremony to honor spirit of
departed devotees
4th Offering to the spirit of the soldiers and inviting other spirits to mark the vegetarian territory
5th Chanting ceremony
6th
7th Offering food, chanting and walking bare on the fire
The day of the waxing moon
in the ninth lunar month
Influence from Taoism Influence from Mahayana Buddhism
8th Street procession, the deities give their blessing to the people
- Offering the vegetarian food and worship to the sacred things
- Take the dispelling misfortune through a ceremony and pay the respect to the nine stars
9th - Offering food, chanting and getting rid of bad luck ceremony (The Bridge-Crossing Ceremony)
- The Farewell Ceremony and the Lantern Pole Lowering Ceremony
- Sacrifice clothing for the sacred things
- The Farewell Ceremony and the Lantern Pole Lowering Ceremony
Fig. 34. The schedule of the two styles of Thetsakan kin che.
The performances of Thetsakan kin che can be divided into two classes: The first one is based on Mahayana Buddhism. It always takes place in the temples, shrines or marquee tents. The festival in this style respects the Nine Stars as representatives of
the seven Buddhas and the two Bodhisattavas. Everything - preaching, offerings of food to the monks or the charity ceremony - is managed in the tradition of Buddhism.
The second one is based on Taoist belief. The festival respects the Nine Stars as kings and other spirits as a mighty army. The festival in this variation always takes place in the area of shrines, and the activities of the ceremony are intended to emphasize the power of the deities, which is most evident in the street procession. Kio Ong Tai Te is the most respected deity of the festival, as is shown, for example, by the characters of the street procession ceremony.
We can see that both festivals have the positive purpose of purifying the participants in mind and body through in various forms of benefaction.
The Style of the Festival Subject
Mahayana Buddhism by Annam Nikaya
Mahayana Buddhism at Nakorn Si
Thamarat
Taoism belief at Phuket and Trang
Province
The way of belief Mahayana Buddhism Mahayana Buddhism Taoism The leader of the
ceremony
Buddhist monk Ordinary man or Buddhist monk
Ordinary man
Place Temple Shrine or Pavilion Shrine
Music - percussion Use with some performances
Use with some performances
Use all the time
Melody Use with some
performances
Use with some performances
Use all the time
Activities Emphasis on praying and benefaction
Emphasis on praying, and some on
benefaction
Emphasis on
presenting the power of the deities
The nine stars belief The nine stars are compared to the Buddha and Bodhisattva
The nine stars are compared to the Buddha and Bodhisattva
The nine stars are compared to kings
Fig. 35. The differences in the styles of the Thetsakan kin che in Southern Thailand