Agence France-Presse
Decked out in elaborate long-nosed masks and ruffled pants, hundreds of Thais banged cowbells and danced in a grand parade on Saturday at an annual ghost festival in the country’s northeast.
The streets of Dan Sai district in Loei province were awash with color and traditional music at the Phi Ta Khon carnival as participants summoned the spirits before thousands of spectators.
With echoes of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, the annual Thai ghost festival’s roots lie in Buddhist traditions.
Men covered in mud — a symbol of fertility and the country’s rice fields — also took part in the procession along a narrow one-kilometer road packed with revelers.
Artist Pisit Tabtong, 59, said traditionally the ghost masks, made from coconut husks, had simple designs with muted clay colors.
But since the festival became a tourism drawcard, hand-painted masks have taken on more colorful and vibrant designs in recent years.
“A simple one would take around one to two weeks to make, but a more complicated design might take months,” he told AFP.
Locals believe it is bad luck to keep their masks after the festival, Pisit added.
“After the ceremony, we will bring them to Wat Pone Chai. After that, we will float the masks on the river because we believe that it symbolically washes away bad energy and negativity,” Pisit said.
Tourists described the festival as a one-of-a-kind experience.
“It’s fantastic, it’s absolutely unique. Never seen anything like this before,” 69-year-old Australian retiree Colleen Duplock said.
Bangkok accountant Sonjai Vomgpartamajaroen, 54, said it was her second year in a row visiting the festival.
“In Bangkok, it’s just a lot of tall buildings, [nicely] dressed people, a lot of fancy things, but no connection… Here you can see local people, they like to get together and they like to have fun,” she told AFP.
“I think I will keep coming every year.”
Overnight, revelers dressed in ghost masks and mesmerizing costumes had danced the night away to techno tunes at a street party.
The festival continues Sunday. – gb
