November 2, 2011
Phoowadon Duangmee
Khukhan, Si Sa Ket
The Festival of the Dead is full of life and colour in Si Sa Ket
There is no such thing as a Halloween party in Srisaket, a northeastern province that shares a border with Cambodia. But in the small town of Khukhan, the Khmer-speaking communities have their own way of celebrating the dead: the annual Saen Donta Festival where they feed the deceased members of their families.
"Sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren - all family members will return home," says an 80-something grandmother, as she starts to explain the notion of this reunion of family members - both alive and dead - for the Saen Donta Festival. "The members [the one who are alive, of course] help to prepare the food and offer it to the dead ones."
Do dead and the living have dinner together, I wonder?
The mysterious traditions of Saen Donta have always intrigued me. So late in September, shortly after the harvesting season, I hoof it up to Khukhan district some 65 kilometres east of downtown Si Sa Ket where I fully expect a spooky, almost paranormal experience that will send me skedaddling to the nearest temple.
What I find is a small town springing to life with dances of joy and throngs of beautiful floral floats. The local people, dressed in their unique tribal costumes, carry baskets full of roasted chicken, barbecued fish, fried meats, mainly pork, vegetables, cigarettes and jars of rice wine before gathering at the public park in front of the town hall. Apparently, this impressive feast should make the hungry ghosts happy for a few days.
"We, the Kui people, have a strong commitment to making offerings during the Saen Donta Festival," says Suwan, the old Kui woman. The Kui are a Khmer-speaking people who are scattered around Si Sa Ket, Surin, Buri Ram and the southern part of Thailand's Northeast. "Otherwise, the hungry spirits will curse us."
The Saen Donta Festival lasts for two days, kicking off the day before the new moon of the 10th Lunar Month.
"On the eve of new moon, the relatives will bring tray of offerings - including roasted chicken, pork, khao tom and dessert - to the family at the top of their lineage," says the woman. "Names of every departed one will be called to take the offering. Not a single name is to be missed or we're in trouble with the curse of the deceased ancestor."
On the second day, the day of new moon, the villagers wake up early to make offerings at the community temple. Once back from the temple, the villagers take small portions of food to their paddy fields and leave them around for the wandering hungry ghosts - whose relatives probably don't care to feed them.
I'm happy to be a living visitor to the Saen Donta tradition
Actually, the festival is a real treat for hungry travellers too and we catch sight of several Saen Donta "groupies" convening along the main road. As we're waiting for the new floats to arrive, the locals offer the onlookers some steamed rice buns, bananas and sort of rice cake. Gulping down the throat-burning, home-made rice wine, I practise my Khmer and earn some good-natured laughter.
We spend all day at the festival before Si Sa Ket's governor arrives on elephant-back in a grand procession. He presides over the offerings, again involving tonnes of food, to Takacha - the most important departed Kui hero in Khukhan.
The rite ends as the last incense burns down to ashes and the villagers head home with baskets full of roasted chicken for dinner.
9 comments:
It's a SHAM!
It is a Khmer tradition,not just dead people,Donta but alive people
can come to enjoy diner.
Even in the USA,the Americans celebrated Halloween too.
Thank Khmer Sisaket for keeping Khmer tradition alive.
Be happy Saen Donta!
Be happy Halloween Night!
Be safe and sound!
pchum ben or sen don ta is a khmer tradition. yes, khmer all over the world celebrate it. happy sen don ta or pchum ben to all khmer people both in cambodia and all around the world.
It's a SHAM. Dead people don't eat. Ever try to feed a dead person? Well, if he/she don't eat then, he/she will never eat thereafter.
Halloween is a SHAM from the devil. Doesn't it look devilish to you? Why would one want to celebrate evil? Don't we have enough evil garb in human flesh in the world today? By celebrating evil you are inviting evil to come into your house and you expect good from evil?
Sham'e on you
8:38 AM
You're a sham, Shame on you! You are ignorant of Khmer tradition and imposes your devil-minded beliefs on other people. It's embarrassing really.
Saen Donta is not Halloween, no one dresses up in devil customs lurking around in the dark looking for candies to steal.
Saen Donta is a Khmer tradition to give thanks, honor, and respect to our grandparents, elders and ancestors.
People dressed up in good clothes, cook good food, and enjoy family reunions and offer thanks to their grandparents. Something your devil-minded culture couldn't wrap your mind around. You're too busy being afraid of the devil you forgot to give thanks to those who safeguard and perpetuate your life to this movement - your own grandparents and ancestors.
If any comparison at all, it is more like thanksgiving. Unless, you think thanksgiving too is a sham. Well, shame on you, as an ingrate - honor and respect wouldn't be a word in your dictionary.
Chinese are the believers in this kind of the ritual like sein daun ta.
The bodies destroyed bu our souls live on, either our souls will be taking to hell, reborn or heaven, none of us know.
Please don't compare Halloween to Sen Donta. They did not have the same value.
OPCHUM BEN IS A RELIGION CEREMONY!
SEN DON TA IS CHINESE!
HLLOWEEN IS PARTYING AND COMERCIAL DAY!
Sen Don Ta is not Chinese.
Just as writing isn't Chinese.
Stop brainwashing yourself that everything that have to do with honor and ancestors are Chinese.
Khmer have our own culture as well. Chinese is known for their early writings, but so are the Egyptians, Phoneicians, should we say writings are of Chinese culture?
have some pride in your own indigenous culture and stop attributing everything you have to some sort of outside beliefs as if you have none yourself. This is the source of identity crisis for some people, they do not understand their own root and therefore does not appreciate their own culture but instead praises and give high values to other people's culture - even when in their own native blood, they have much the same values as honoring their ancestor.
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