English Presentation Pee Ta Khon Festival By Thanapron Changnoi Wasinee Horsakul Class 5/12 Advisor Teacher Jantana Khamanukul Kanchananukroh School Kanchanaburi Province

Pee Ta Khon is one of the E-san traditional plays. Each player must wear scary mask and make-up to look like ghost. Not for invoking evil spirit but for amusing among the crowd. In former years, E-san people usually played it for favor during the Boon Bung Fai ceremonies. The origin of Pee Ta Khon parade is based on the belief in old time story of the last great incarnation of the Buddha, Mahavejsandon.

While his parents, the King and the Queen of those days, had welcomed him and his family back after banishment. The caravan paraded them back to the city was full of savages and ghosts who used to serve and respect him highly, joined for farewell. Nowadays, Pee Ta Khon Festival begins from Ngan Boon Luang at the Phon Chai Temple, Dahn Sai District, Loei Province. This merit ceremony lasts three days. The programs are as follows.

First day: It is called as "Wan Ruam" or "Wan Home" which means an assembly day. Their ritual stats in the early morning, including inviting the Spirits of God known as Phra U-pakut from the Mun River to stay in their directions around rite area. They believe that will protect from harms and make things fine all along the ceremony. This section also has a small group of Pee Ta Khon parade too.

Second day: After groups of Pee Ta Khon gather in the early morning, they will dance and tease for fun with the crowd along their ways. The show continues until the time of parade welcoming Mahavejsandon and his family back in the afternoon (called as "Hae Phra"). The parade begins with San Dahn, carrying cooked rice topped with a boiled egg, used as offering (Bai Sri). Follows the image of Buddha caravan, which is a symbolic of Mahavejsandon.

Boon Laung ceremony with Pee Ta Khon festival of Dahn Sai District, Loei is an important tradition of March among those twelve-month traditions called as Heed Sib-song Duan Si. They may have the same festival in some place around E- san area but the Boon Pa Ved and Pee Ta Khon parade are still well known here at the Phon Chai Temple in Dahn Sai and will be with Loei people forever.

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