Description
Loy Krathong, the festival celebrated by Thai people on the full moon night of the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar, is probably the most well known and most charming of all Thai festivals. The term “Loy Krathong” literally means to float a krathong, which is a small religious offering containing flowers, candles, incense, and, in times past, some coins. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of water and rivers.
In the north, people celebrate Yee Peng or the Lantern Festival at the same time. It is a religious event where various types of lanterns are hung in front of the house to show devotion to the Buddha, and sky lanterns are sent to worship the deities in the high heaven. Lanna people also light small candles call “Phang Pratheep” to show gratitude to all their benefactors including the house and walls that protect them.
In this workshop, led by Ajarn Waewdao, an expert in Lanna culture, you will learn about the origins and traditions associated with Yee Peng and Loy Krathong. You will then participate in a craft workshop, making your own “Phang Pratheep” as well as a krathong made out of environmentally friendly materials. Finally, you will learn how to dance the traditional line dance called “ramwong” which is always a key part of these two festivals.
Presenter:
Ajarn Waewdao Sirisook, M.F.A. Dance, World Arts and Cultures, UCLA, and recipient of the Naational Artist in Contemporary Performing Arts award for 2024 is a choreographer/ dancer from Chiang Rai who first studied dance within her village community. In 2005 she went to UCLA in the US to earn an MFA in Dance/Choreography. She was a 2006 APPEX Fellow and a recipient of a major fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council. She has taught Lanna dance in many schools and communities throughout Thailand and is currently a lecturer at the School of Communication Arts, Performing Arts Program, Bangkok University. In addition, she has performed in dozens of cultural programs abroad for the Tourism Authority of Thailand including, in July of this year, in the United States.
On September 20th of this year she received the prestigious Sillapin Silapathorn Award which names her as a National Artist in Contemporary Performing Arts. On November 9 and 10 she has been invited to perform in the Bangkok Theatre Festival. She will return to Chiang Mai the evening of November 10 in order to join us on Monday morning!
Cost: 400 THB (includes materials)
