For those who enjoy travelling across Southeast Asia, attending festivals is a surefire way to experience distinctively different cultures. Perhaps the most shocking festival to witness in the region is the Thaipusam, which is held in honor of the Hindu god of war Lord Murugan and celebrated by Hindus all over the world.
“One of the best places to witness Thaipusam is in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur,” travel vlogger Elen Bondoc told Thai PBS World. “The procession starts from the city and moves to the famous Batu Caves. The walk starts at midnight and reaches the caves in the early hours of the morning. Participants then climb up to the mouth of the caves where a huge statue of Lord Murugan is located,” she continued.
But she also warns that watching the festival is not for the faint-hearted. “The most intense part and perhaps one of the highlights is the kavadi attam or the “burden dance”, where participants perform elaborate acts to demonstrate their devotion. This includes piercing the skin or tongue with skewers, or dragging a heavy chariot by metal hooks pierced into the flesh. Some of the devotees appear to be in a trance while performing these rituals.”
Like no other
In the Dan Sai district of Loei province in Thailand, a merit-making festival continues to intrigue and mesmerise tourists. Held in June or July, it is known as Phi Ta Khon, a lively Thai ghost mask parade that honours the ghosts of the forest and the spirits of the community’s ancestors. During this festival, these spirits are celebrated and invited to bless the community.
The Phi Ta Khon is a festival like no other. Participants go to great lengths to prepare and don costumes for the celebration. Dressing up for this event is a significant part of the festival and sees participants fashion sheets and blankets to create makeshift shrouds to look like ghosts. Long masks are worn, made from the base of coconut trees and carved and painted to resemble the faces of ghosts and spirits.
“The costumes are an important part of the event. A competition is held to choose the best masks and costumes,” said one local resident.
On the first day of the festival, a masked parade travels throughout the town, accompanied by music and dancing. On the second day, another procession is held, with locals carrying a sacred Buddha image through the streets and dancing their way to the town’s main temple.
Unique elements
Like the Thaipusam festival, Phi Ta Khon is a colourful and vibrant event that combines merriment with rich culture, folklore and other intriguingly unique elements such as explicit representations on display.
“Parade participants sometimes carry wooden penises and other phallic symbols such as swords with handles resembling male genitalia. The festivities are accompanied by traditional Thai music and dancing during the processions and performances where dancers strike grotesque poses and demeanours. At the end of the festival, the monster and ghost figures are thrown into the river to cast away all the year’s past sorrows and misfortune,” said travel vlogger Elen.
The Phi Ta Khon festival is a three-day merit-making event that is of great significance in Thai Buddhist culture. On the last day of the festival, locals make their way to the main temple and listen to Buddha’s sermons given by the monks.
Quite similar
A similar festivity takes place every year in the Philippines. However, while the masks worn by the Phi Ta Khon participants display demonic fierceness, those worn during the Masskara festival in the Philippines are adorned with smiling faces.
“The Masskara festival is held annually in Bacolod City - known as the “City of Smiles”, which explains the smiling masks. It symbolises the resilience and cheerful spirit of our people,” says Mark Doroteo, a native of the city.
During the cultural extravaganza, the entire city is transformed into a playground of visual delights with colourful costumes, lively dances and hypnotic rhythms, as locals and tourists revel in the celebration. The radiant masks, rhythmic dance beats, and the effervescent atmosphere attract many tourists, not unlike the celebration of the Mardi Gras in Brazil.
Here to stay?
Why do these Southeast Asian festivals continue to attract tourists and participants? And how long will their popularity last?
“We do not know that. Modernisation sometimes has a way of erasing traditions. The important thing is for we travellers to enjoy these festivals while they last. There are some cultural traditions that stand the test of time because of their strong social significance, religious influence, and historical relevance,” travel vlogger Elen concluded.
By Oz Herza, Veena Thoopkrajae
