Phi Ta Khon or The Ghost Festival is a lively and distinctive event celebrated in the quaint town of Dan Sai, located in Thailand's Loei province. This vibrant festival features locals and visitors dressing up in intricate masks and costumes, turning themselves into spirited and strange 'ghosts.'
When This Was Started
Local people believe this festival already started when Buddhism existed and started to spread in Thailand. The name was originally known as The Bun Luang or Bun Pha Wet events which came from The Rocket traditions and The Phra Wessanthara.
Like most of Thailand’s festivals or traditions, Phi Ta Khon is an expression from Buddhist faith to express that they believe when the Prince Vessendara returns to their city, it can bring joy to village spirits then joins the festival. The festival is usually held in Dan Sai, Loei province and it’s a three day event which takes place between March and July.
This Year Phi Ta Khon
This year's event took place on 7th - 9th July 2024 there’s live music performance, including a Phi Ta Khon mask dance competition, and a few other cultural shows.
At this year’s festival on day one there’s a food offerings ritual to monks at the temple, a summoning of spirits ceremony, and stage performances. Day two's main programme is the festival’s official opening ceremony in front of Dan Sai District Office, followed by a summoning of spirits and then the grand Phi Ta Khon parade, other than that, there’s also making of merit and firing of bamboo rockets shows.
On the last day On day three, there’s a ceremony called merit-making ceremonies. It’s about 13 consecutive Buddhist religion speeches took place at Phon Chai and all villages in Dan Sai District. Usually they’re told about Mahachat stories.
This year's Phi Ta Khon also presents markets which selling lot of food and local handicrafts. And there's also a big costume parade which is good for tourism photograph because the colorful and unique themed costume. Other than that, tourism also can do lot of fun tourism attraction at theme park.
Phi Ta Khon is the public festival. Everyone can join the costume party even if they're foreigners. If you’re interested in attending this festival, you can depart at Udon Thani International Airport then continue driving to the west through Nong Bua Lam Phu.
But here's some relegation if you want to participate in the ghost parade.
Know About The Costume Before Use It
This is a key part of the festival, the mask believed to prevent illness, suffering, and sorrow. Often made from coconut fiber or bamboo and feature vibrant patterns, There are two types of masks, the large one is called ‘Phi ta khon yai’.
Local people said this kind of mask are made for certain families who have practiced the art for generations, because not every local artist can produce this mask. The maker of this mask must do sacred ritual for seeking supernatural blessings And the kind that can be worn by everyone is the small one which called ‘Phi ta khon lek’
Generally the mask is painted in bright red, green, or other colors and made of dried sticky rice husk and the prominent feature is the long pointed nose.The base of the head is made from woven cones used to steam sticky rice. The front side is carved out of wood or banana trunks. For costumes, the local people usually traditionally sewn from old cloth, but by the time, now they commonly wear jumpsuits patched from colorful fabrics.
The Tradition After Festival
In the past, Phi Ta Khon festival participants must discard their costumes by throwing them into the Man River because it was strictly forbidden bringing these costumes home, leaving behind symbolically their suffering and misfortunes. But today, the locals are considering put the mask on at the local Phi Ta Khon museum which is built next to the ancient temple Wat Phon Chai.
