Many southern provinces today have the tradition of the Boon Sat Duan Sip festival, in which southern descendants return home to make merit and dedicate the merit to their ancestors and grandparents who have passed away, or what is known as the day of sending grandparents off.
Starting with the merit-making ceremony on the tenth lunar month of the Koh Samui people at Wat Sri Thip, Koh Samui District, Surat Thani Province, this year was lively. The villagers brought food and offerings such as Khanom La, Khanom Thian, Khanom Tom, Khao Pong, Khanom Ba, sweet and savory foods, and various types of beautifully decorated items to join the tradition and offer to the monks to perform the Bang Sukul ceremony, making merit for the ancestors who have passed away, which is an important day. It is considered a major merit-making event for the southern people, and the descendants who live in other places must travel back to join the merit-making.
It can be seen that the offerings filled the temple grounds, beautifully d
ecorated. When the monk ceremony is over, there will be a ghost-fighting activity, which means making merit for the spirits who come to receive the merit, so that they will also receive the merit in this occasion. The ghost-fighting tradition is one of the activities in the merit-making festival on the tenth lunar month that children and adults alike look forward to. Whoever snatches or grabs the food is believed to gain merit. You will see each person take the offerings they snatched home in a bag, and the offerings are gone in the blink of an eye.
Songkhla people flock to make black chinned tilapia fish stews
In Chana District, Songkhla Province, this year, villagers from Village No. 5, Ban Nai Mueang, Khlong Pia Subdistrict, joined together to make a large black-chinned tilapia fish tray, 2-3 meters long, with a person holding a fishing rod in front, helping to carry it around the Dharma Hall, Wat Thung Nae. This is different from the trays every year, which are made into pagodas or animals from literatu
re. The villagers said that they made the black-chinned tilapia to represent important stories or events that happened in the country. This year, the black-chinned tilapia is one of the things that society is interested in and has an impact on villagers across the country. Therefore, they have brought it to make a black-chinned tilapia tray, adding color to this year’s Sarat Month Ten tradition.
Yala joins in continuing the tradition of fighting ghosts
In Yala Province, Buddhists in Yupo Subdistrict and nearby subdistricts traveled to join the merit-making ceremony of the 10th lunar month. There was a procession, bringing food containers, both savory and sweet, especially the 10th lunar month desserts, to Wat Yuparam (Wat Yupo). In the procession, there were children who dressed up as ghosts in various styles. The temple had prepared a place for the ghost-fighting competition to place the desserts and food, and continued the tradition of climbing the oil pole to compete for food and offerings amidst cheers
from the villagers who came to join the ceremony. This is considered a continuation of the traditions of Buddhists, especially in the southern border provinces, creating a colorful and fun atmosphere, adding to the happiness in the area.
For the tradition of the Southern people of the Sart Month Ten, it is believed that if the ancestors who have passed away have done something wrong or evil, they will fall into hell and become a ghost, who must suffer in hell. On the 1st waning day of the 10th month, they will be released back to the human world to ask for merit from their descendants and will return to hell again on the 15th waning day of the 10th month, which is today. Therefore, descendants and those who are still alive bring food to make merit at the temple to dedicate merit to those who have passed away to show their gratitude.
Source: Thai News Agency