OF SOUKHUAN AND LAOS Elena Gregoria Chai Chin Fern Faculty ...

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The lighting up of the candle signifies the commencement of the ceremony. Therefore, all those present during the ceremony should pay attention to the chanting, which is important for the effectiveness of the ceremony. From the text that was recited, the khuan of the little child is believed to have gone far away into non-human habitats (river, caves, forest) and is perhaps in the company of unusual beings (ghost, big bat, big bird, little dragon). Starting with the khuan of the head, the khuan of the hair, hands, feet and so forth are asked to come back. The khuan is then asked not to hesitate to enter. Here, it is entering the Phakhuan where the thread (fai mong kon) is attached. At this point, the Mor Phon takes two pieces of fai mong kon and ties it to the wrists of the child. The khuan, which is attached to the thread, is now transferred to the child and is firmly tied with three knots. When the chanting continues, it is noticeable that the Mor Phon gives advice and moral instructions to the adults, especially targeting the parents of the child. Towards the end of the chanting, the Mor Phon wishes the child to be strong and healthy. When this has ended, cotton threads are tied to the wrist of the child, called mat ken, a process which begins with the Mae Thao of the child, followed by the parents, and all those present. The child is also fed with a bit of the sticky rice and egg of which the thevada and khuan are believed to have feasted on. Then, everyone proceed to another section of the house where the host serves food and alcohol. The Soukhuan ceremony for marriage Soukhuan is also performed during an important occasion such as marriage. Below is an English translation of a marriage ceremony which I witnessed in Paksan village of Bolikhamsai Province. Bolikhamsai Province is located in the narrow ‘neck’ of central Laos. The marriage ceremony was held on 12 th December, 2001. The marriage was between two local Lao. The soukhuan ceremony held during the marriage in Paksan is quite similar to the one Tambiah (a renowned anthropologist) encountered in Northeast Thai. Soukhuan is regarded as an important rite which accompanies a marriage ceremony. Before the actual wedding day, a Un Don ceremony, literally translated as ‘warm up‘, is held. This ceremony is conducted on the evening before the marriage, in the house of the bride-to-be and the groom-to-be, respectively. The bride-to-be and the groom-to-be invite their relatives and close friends to attend the ceremonies which begin with a small soukhuan or Soukhuan Noi ceremony. The congregation sit around the Phakhuan, with the Mor Phon on one side and the bride-to-be, accompanied by the parents and grandparents on the opposite side of the Phakhuan. When the Mor Phon lights the candle, everyone stays silent and focuses on the Mor Phon chanting. During the chanting, the Mor Phon invites the thevada or divine angels to come and witness the ceremony. The thevada are asked to help summon all the khuans of the bride-to-be to return for the big occasion on the next day. Then the Mor Phon continues to give advice and moral instructions to the bride-to-be. Such advice range from how a bride - 16 - PDF Creator - PDF4Free v2.0 http://www.pdf4free.com
should conduct herself in the presence of the senior members of her husband’s household, how she should not wake up later than her husband, how she should not go out when the sun is setting and many more. When all the khuan of the bride-to-be has come to the Phakhuan, the tying of the fai mon kon (the white cotton thread) began. Similar to other Soukhuan ceremony, the Mor Phon is the first person to tie the wrists of the bride-to-be and this is followed by the elders. Other relatives and friends will only have this done to them in Soukhuan Nyai (Big Soukhuan ceremony) to be held on the wedding day itself. After the Mor Phon has offered thanks to the thevada and invited them to return to the heavens, the Soukhuan Noi ceremony comes to an end officially. This is followed by a big buffet meal with unlimited flow of alcohol served in the house yard. Lao and Thai folk songs are sung and sometimes pop songs are performed by hired musicians. Men and women form a circle and dance the Lamvong, a Khmer traditional dance found in Laos and Cambodia. Lamvong is a slow revolving circle dance where men stand on the inside of the circle and the women on the outside. Dancers will move their hands slowly in expressive gestures. This will continue until midnight. Sometimes, relatives and friends become drunk and put up the night at the host’s house. Next morning, family members of the bride and groom are dressed in Sut Teng Dong or wedding suit. The bride could wear any colour whereas the groom should avoid wearing red colour or an entirely black suit since black represents solemnity. On a ‘bright’ and auspicious day, any ‘solemn’ coloured attire is not permitted. Red symbolizes ‘blood’ and it is a taboo for the groom to wear such a ‘dangerous’ colour. A man dressed in red symbolizes a bleeding man in an accident or war. As for the bride, red Sut Teng Dong is permitted as bleeding in woman is associated with the monthly menstrual cycle which symbolizes fertility. When the Nyamdi (the auspicious time selected by the Mor Phon) approaches, the groom’s party set out to the bride’s house. Just before the party leaves, an elderly person lights a candle that will be carried by the groom to the bride’s house. Once lit, a crowd of elders or friends will escort the groom while drumming gongs and playing the Khaen (Lao flute) creating a noisy atmosphere. As the groom’s party arrive at the front gate of the bride’s house, representatives of the latter will ask, “Where does the young, charming prince come from? What does he want?” The groom’s side replied, “We come from a big palace from the huge mountain on the other side. We have lots of gold and silver in our palace. We have lots of land and harvest. We heard of how beautiful and kind the princess is and on this very good day, our prince has come to marry her”. The bride’s family will reply, “If this is the truth, prove it!” The groom’s family then takes out a few big kip notes (Lao currency) and hand them over to the bride’s party saying “We have sacks of money in our palace.” The banter continues for some twenty minutes until finally the bride’s party gives in and asks the groom’s party to drink a few glasses of strong Lao Lao (rice wine). - 17 - PDF Creator - PDF4Free v2.0 http://www.pdf4free.com
Page 1 and 2: OF SOUKHUAN AND LAOS Elena Gregoria
Page 3 and 4: Spiritual beings are held to affect
Page 5 and 6: ecome a dominant aspect of their mu
Page 7 and 8: The khuan The belief in khuan has l
Page 9 and 10: 11) hua chai - heart 12) tap - live
Page 11 and 12: Soukhuan is mainly performed by the
Page 13 and 14: The smoldering wood was waved in a
Page 15: When there is a lightning in the sk
Page 19 and 20: Please come back to see your belove
Page 21 and 22: The Mor Phon gave moral instruction
Page 23 and 24: Acknowledgements I have been blesse
Page 25: Tambiah, Stanley J. 1970. Buddhism

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