| Community: The Mon Siam Group of Wat Pho Mon | ||||
| UPDATE : 10 May 2010 | ||||
A Mon community has dominated day-to-day life along the banks of the Mae Klong River in Ratchburi’s Ban Pong district for centuries. The Mon people are known for their unique traditions and customs, which have been practiced in the area for generations. But in an effort to keep Mon culture alive, a group of villagers from Khung Payom sub-district decided to establish the Mon Siam Group of the Mae Klong. The group aims to ensure members of the community understand the importance of transferring traditional Mon traditions and cultural wisdom to younger generations. According to Ampai Makkawan, the president of the group, the Mon Siam Group was established earlier this year. The group aims to initiate constructive projects to ensure the Mon community can maintain its customs and traditions, while ensuring greater unity among its members. Community Involvement The group’s core body consists of school teachers, monks, village heads, local administration officials, farmers, local business owners and housewives. Khung Payom sub-district is home to almost 1,900 people of Mon descent, who share the community with smaller groups, including Thai and Thai-Chinese people. The village includes three traditional Mon temples where members of the community gather to hold important religions ceremonies.
As part of its formal launch, the Mon Siam Group chose to celebrate its emergence on April 14, during the highpoint of the Songkran New Year festival at the local temple - Wat Pho Mon. The event features various rituals and traditions. “We wanted to initiate an event through which our children could learn from us and be proud of our traditions,” says Pitak Kiertubonpaiboon, vice-president of the Mon Siam Group. A Feast to Behold The highlight of the day’s event – the Songkran procession – was held early in the morning. Members of the procession present monks at the temple with specially prepared sets of khao chae (a savory set of dishes based around chilled rice). Adults and children donning traditional Mon forms of dress participate in the procession, girls and women using special rattan dishes to transport the food (see main photo [above]). Upon arrival at the temple, the dishes are presented as an offering to a Buddha image under a sala tree and to the ‘spirit of Princess Songkran’ at a nearby shrine. Pitak says some members of the group have also helped to arrange cultural shows to be held during the event. Among the stage performances were traditional dances, Tayae Mon (a form of Thai-style musical), as well as traditional games that are only played during Songkran. Many members of the community participate in the event by preparing food for other local residents and visitors. Among the many delicious dishes available were Thai favorites, such as pad thai (pan-fried noodles), khanom jeen (round noodles with curry sauce) and a variety of popular curries with rice.
A group of elderly women helped prepare kabieng (a form of candy made from glutinous rice) by pounding the cooked rice with black sesame until the ingredients had been thoroughly blended. Once the right consistency has been attained, the dough is cut into small squares and is ready to eat. This mildly sweet and sticky candy is quite difficult to find these days as it requires a good deal of manual input in order to make it. In the past, the community has organized events in tandem with other Mon villages or sub-districts to celebrate Songkran. But members of the community decided that it would organize its own event this year to generate a sense of ownership over the festivities among younger generations within the community. “We hope that they can see the value of our traditions and continue to carry on such practices,” he says.
Raising awareness has not been confined to the festival celebrations, however, as evidenced by an initiative launched in 2008. Pitak and senior members of the community successfully accommodated the teaching of the Mon language within local schools. Modern developments, such as the mass migration of local people towards major cities, meant that Mon language usage began to fade during the 1980s and 1990s as this group lost touch with its traditions. It meant that many young people from their teens through to their 20s cannot speak their native tongue. This is being addressed, however, since some younger generations are able to speak Mon, according to Pitak. Hope Springs Eternal The group’s next project is to seek through research suitable development initiatives in the area of agricultural resources in order to prevent youngsters and future generations from migrating to the city. Pitak says that while the group would face many challenges as it strives to reach its cultural preservation objectives, the future now seems brighter, as evidenced by the holding of the Songkran festivities and the willingness among the community to cooperate in future events in the same way. The Mon communities based in this area, including groups located in Khung Payom sub-district, recently launched the Mon Siam Cultural Route as a tourist attraction. This activity offers insights into the daily lives and routines of the Mon. For further information in Thai and English, visit http://www.monsiam.net. | ||||
วันพุธที่ 12 พฤษภาคม พ.ศ. 2553
The Mon Siam Group of Wat Pho Mon
สมัครสมาชิก:
ส่งความคิดเห็น (Atom)
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น