Spirited Away

Yesterday was evidently an auspicious day, as the Old Cultural Center on Wualai Road hosted a spirit appeasment ceremony. Lasting all day, these  uncommon events attract local shaman of all persuasions and are a great opportunity to learn about customs and culture of this area. I missed this one, but was able to attend the one at the Lan Na Old House Museum last year at this time. The course of events is similar, so I thought I'd share those photos, which did not get posted last year.

It starts with offerings to the spirits of the site: food, libations (rice wine here and young coconut water), flowers, etc. Dancing followed and the rice wine flowed, taking everyone to a mellow state. Some enhanced the trance with a swing on a suspended cloth, round and round until they collapsed.

After lunch, the afternoon was spent entertaining the spirits with symbolic activities such as 'horse' riding, fishing, catching elephants, etc. Other appointments kept me from returning, so sadly, no photos of shaman tackling elephants to amuse the spirits.

Wai Wan Kru at CMU

We scrambled this morning to get into town in time for this annual event and were glad we did! In a verdant grove of teak trees on the west side of campus, the CMU Fine Arts Department puts on an eye-dazzling ceremony every year at this time to honor their teachers ('kru'/guru), to welcome the new incoming class and to show off their talents and skills.

Led by a shaman (in white), the ceremony includes lots of traditional ritual to appease and honor the gods of creativity. He was joined by Ajan Vithi, Chiang Mai's famous 'master of ceremonies' and former head of the Fine Arts Department.

Then the dancing girls (and guys) revved up the festivities with a steady flow of ornately outfitted dancers performing a variety of dances, along with traditional drumming.

Thankfully, not everything was red and white...

The good-looking drummers also had some good-looking tattoos.

The scene is a casual one, with students, teachers and onlookers wandering around the grounds, giving the fashionistas an opportunity to show off their costumes. Traditional live music accompanied all and food and water was passed out to the attendees.

This lady is wearing a style (albeit more jazzed up) from the early 20th century that was in vogue thanks to Princess Dararasami, consort to Rama V and from the Chiang Mai royal family of the time.

This is a most curious combination of Gangsta chic, a Khmer silk skirt,
and formal clown shoes. . . . ?!

Where did they get those leggings?! And what do they represent?

My choice for the most elegant- this gentleman is wearing a recent
version of the prized,antique Muang Hun 'phaa sin' from Laos,
along with a jaunty Tai Lue hat.

These ladies are in the usual ceremonial dress seen in Lan Na:
traditional 'phaa sin' with shawls, metal belts, and flowers in their hair.

One has to wonder where all these beautiful people went as the festivities ended and everyone dispersed. . .

Just another day in the life of Chiang Mai.

Dancing & Trancing in Chiang Mai

Presented as "Fohn-Pii or Ancestor Trance Dance", the recent ceremony at Chiang Mai's Arts and Culture Centre was a rare mass meeting of local shamans. The occasion was to honor the noble ancestor spirits of the Lan Na people, which included members of nobility, heroes and warriors as epitomized by the Three Kings whose monument graces the plaza in front of the Arts and Culture Centre.




A dancing pavillion was set up at the rear of the property and was quite a colorful scene when we arrived. Outside, a large number of non-participants milled around and watched those inside the packed structure, who were mostly shamans and their friends. Musicians playing traditional music added to the crowd. Offerings were arranged at one end of the building, as well as lined up on the floor in the middle where a line dance formed with the shamans brandishing bamboo sticks with a candle on the end.




In addition to dancing in trance, the mediums would also mimic the actions of their ancestral spirit, and of course were dressed appropriately. It was quite a fashion show with red being the preferred color, although many other colors and combinations were worn. Silk was the predominant fabric and was worn as skirts, blouses, headwraps, belts and shouldercloths. Accessories included pins for the hair, turbans, fans, flowers, pipes, and assorted forms of jewelry. Usually composed of matrilineal descent groups, the spirit cults here are predominantly female, tho this affair brought out transgender and gay male shamans as well.


A three day affair, this was the second day and designated as "Wan Fohn", or the day of trance dancing, with the dancing going on all day and well into the night, fueled with rice wine, cheroots, and assorted foods.






A large shrine beyond the pavillion served to both house offerings and act as a photographic background. We were excited to see the use of a 'phaa yan', or yantra textile, as a canopy over the main altar.