Boon Sard Duen Sib Festival, Nakornsritammarat
Festival of the south for people to show their gratitude to their ancestors
The tenth month of each year is an important one for the people of the south of Thailand. There is a big religious ceremony of showing gratitude to the ancestors called Boon Sard Duen Sib (religious ceremony of the tenth month).
This ceremony is held from the belief that the ancestors will come back and visit their descendants during this month. Therefore, the family will show their gratitude by preparing food and utensils to offer to the monks in order to share the good deeds to their ancestors.
There are also some fun activities. On the last day, there is a ceremony called “Ching Pred”. The monks will put all the food and utensils offered by the villagers at a pavilion called “Sala Pred” for the ancestors to come and collect. After that, all the villagers will try to snatch the leftover food and share with each other. It is believed that whoever eats the leftover food from their ancestors will receive a large blessing.
There are five kinds of sweets that all the families offer to the monks. They can be bought at the local temples and markets.
Nakornsrittammarat has the biggest religious ceremony in Thailand. Every temple has both day and night activities including shows for the villagers and tourists to see. What is more, there are many local foods for tourists to try.