In my last post about amulets and charms in Thailand, I ended with a short bit on the waan nang kwak, or a figure of a beckoning woman that is displayed in shops in Thailand as a way of encouraging business. That is a good segue into other things that are displayed in shops that are meant to bring the shop good luck and lots of business: nang kwak as well as crocodile and Suvannamaccha, a Hindu mermaid, pha yant or tapestry. The figures represented on the pha yant are rooted in myths and stories as well as the more mystic beliefs of local spirits.
Tag: buddhist
Bpai Tiao: Yasothon’s Bun Bang Fai (Rocket) Festival
In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.
Previously, I posted about the festivals that I was planning on attending this year in Thailand, one of which was the Rocket Festival in Yasothon. That took place this past weekend and I made it out to rural Isaan just for the occasion.
Taking Part in Thai Buddhist Funeral Rites
In between the training that I did for the PESAO staff and the training for 200 principals on conversational English, I spent a weekend at my homestead. I found out the day that I got home that one of the yaais (grandmothers) in the village had died.
Just before I left the US, my great aunt had died and so I had recently experienced a funeral in the US and I wanted to share about the differences between the rituals around death between Thailand and the US.
Graduation and Welcoming Ceremony
After swearing in, we newly minted volunteers got right down to business with the Counterpart Conference. We spent the next couple days getting to know our counterparts a little bit better, communicating our expectations of each other, getting on the same page as far as Peace Corps policy and for the TCCS volunteers figuring out what co-teaching and lesson planning together meant in real time. more “Graduation and Welcoming Ceremony”