Lampang - Wat Si Luang Chae Son - A Ghost Festival

[DavidFL]

A small item in my news feed caught my attention - a 400 year old ghost festival, like Pi Ta Khon in Dan Sai (?), but more Lao style and in Lampang.

In Amphoe Chae Hom, there is a village called Ban Luang whose people trace their heritage to Laos.
The community preserves an ancient ghost festival reminiscent of the Phi Ta Khon celebrations of Dan Sai in Loei Province.
This “hairy ghost” festival carries a unique local belief: those who feel they lack physical attractiveness or romantic opportunities can improve their fortunes by taking part. It is said that by participating, they will be rewarded in the next life with beauty, love, and admiration—bringing greater auspiciousness and happiness to their future.

Something unique & special to check out = I couldn't resist.
I set off from Chiang Khong at 4.20pm for a 250 kms ride.
Better late than never & a nice time to test the new iridium visor in the heat & fading light to be.

To be continued.

 

[DavidFL]

Its a 250 kms ride to the festival destination from Chiang Mai, but my getaway rime from Chiang Khong is a tardy 4.20pm.
"Flat knackers" it is down 1020 & across onto 1421, the Phaya Mengrai bypass, to Chiang Rai and highway one to head south on R1 to Phayao for my first stop.
The iridium visor works a gem cutting out so much heat & glare riding West into the sun on R1421 towards Chiang Rai.
On R1 in the fading light & then 40 kms of light rain, it got a bit tricky, requiring some concentration.

Arrival time in Phayao was 6.30 & time for a meal.

The Suktae restaurant is a fave GTR food spot for some excellent kow soi.

The Suktae
(Phayao Restaurants)

Back on the road after a sumptious kow soi it was an enjoyable ride across R120 to Wang Nua.
The road condition of R120 was superb I thought & the wafting smoke in the cooling night air made the ride all feel somewhat magical - I enjoy night riding.
However with the iridium visor you need to ride with the visor up at night.
This does not bother me at all, as my seating position on the Vstrom with the screen I have on the bike, means that all the air is deflected up & over helmet.
My eyes never even water from the air flow with the visor fully up!

Arrival time in Wang Nua was 8.15pm.
It was another 60 kms to the festival destination, but with what looked like only homestays available for accommodation, opted to take on Wang Nua city for the night.

The Wang Nua place hotel was my choice for the night.

@ 400 baht top value with nice clean quiet rooms.

(Wang Nua Accommodation)

A slow survey wander arriving in Wang Nua megatropolis turned nothing enticing for the night, even for a hound dog like me.
So it was a relaxed evening in my room, challenging the Dtac & WiFi networks for a decent signal = I failed on both accounts.
So it will be time to give up with Dtac after 11 years & switch back to AIS.

Chiang Khong - Wang Nua.

To be continued..

 

[DavidFL]

Day 2 - The Festival & Home.

After a night of solitary confinement in Wang Nua city the old GTR fellah was up early, ready to ride & seek out the ancient hairy ghost festival to the south, another 60kms away.
But first a coffee & maybe something for brekky?
The nearest place, & right next door was a PTT Amazon.
Perfect for a cuppa & seat in the aircon.
Amazon opens at 7am & I was standing at the pearly gates at 6.56am.
The lights were on & the staff were inside.
I tried to enter & the young lady pointed to the sign 7am, opening.
4 minutes. I shouldn't be jumping the gun I guess - wait outside in the sun in the concrete!
Nope couldn't be bothered, I put my kit back on & rode off.

60 kms later I was wandering the back blocks of Muang Pan / Chae Hom, looking for the mysterious temple, and cursing with no DTac phone signal for navigation.
I stumbled across temple 1. A classic old relic being restored.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the right wat.
Wat Khuang Kom is the name of this beauty, & I'd love to go again and be able to take a look inside.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

900 metres further on from Wat Khuang Kom, I found a nice little coffee shop to get a morning cuppa & some info, since DTac was AWOL - where the hell are we?

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

It's a scalding cappu in a foam cup that dissolved any residue on my tongue.
But yes, they know about the festival. It started yesterday; you missed the big parade?? Oops.
Fortunately, their WiFi is working and I'm able to reconnect to the electronic world to save the right name of the hairy ghost temple & the location.

What I was after, the hairy ghost temple "once upon a time"

6 kms away, if you get on the right road.
40 minutes later jackpot.

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

maps.app.goo.gl

Wat Si Luang is believed to date from 1857, and was originally called Wat Pa Phai” (Bamboo Forest Temple).
When first built it consisted only of a viharn and a bell-shaped chedi with a distinctive twelve-cornered base, reflecting a blend of Lanna and Burmese architectural styles. The most recent major renovation took place in 1966, after which the Fine Arts Department formally registered the site as a historical monument, restricting any further restoration without official permission.

The most striking feature is the collection of animal sculptures; lining the stairs that lead up to the temple
These statues depict animals from local folklore and mythology.

The hairy ghosts I was looking for, from the 1st May?

But where were hairy ghosts?
I asked the MC group on the PA system in the temple grounds - what time does the parade start - 10AM was the answer.
Good I've got an hour+ to kill.
Does the parade start from here at the temple, or elsewhere.
YES was the answer, at the temple.
55 But I should have known better about the parade(s).

Villagers made merit at the temple.

It seemed to me as if not much was going on.
Just villagers hanging out on the narrow street, seeking shade in the heat.

The one aircon coffee shop in the street was jam packed with people, but had WiFi & lung farang was given a seat, due to the generosity of the locals.
Then suddenly there was music & movement people outside towards the end of the street away from the temple.
Yeah baby, a parade of sorts was coming.

The Honda Wave Music Machine

And soon the hairy ghosts cruised the street.

To be continued.

 

[DavidFL]

The Ghosts Explanation

It was only after I returned home and researched further that I began to grasp what I'd witnessed—and I surely missed a lot, as what I believe was the main parade happened the day before.
For these local festivals, finding accurate, detailed information is always difficult. Even if event organisers know exactly what they're doing, they still rarely share information in English.
In these situations, Google Translate truly becomes your best friend.

With the help of AI, FB & Grammarly, this is as good as I can get re the hairy ghosts:

The folk play “Ghost Hair” has a rich history spanning over a century and is integral to the Songnam Phra That tradition, celebrated on the day of Sri Luang Chae Son. This event coincides with the 15th evening of the eighth lunar month (in the Northern Thai calendar), a time known as the “Eight Peng” among Northerners.

The origins of the ghost folk play are rooted in the belief that those who are not considered attractive or lack romantic success can participate in the “ghost game” to ensure better fortune and attractiveness in their next life. It is believed that joining the performance brings auspiciousness and love in one’s future.

Traditionally, participants would don ghost costumes and perform a ritual in the forest to invite the spirits of the deceased. The ceremony required offerings such as betel nut, banana, and rice ball to summon a soul. Once the spirit was believed to inhabit the ghost head, the player would dance to the sound of gongs and drums, playfully scaring or teasing those in the procession.

The costumes were elaborate, often covering the entire body and smeared with motor oil or charcoal to appear dirty. Decorations included flowers, leaves, and coconut shreds wrapped around a bamboo basket for the head, which was covered with yellow cloth and painted with features. Some ghosts had multiple faces, which required additional baskets. The distinctive “hairy ghost” was adorned with real human hair, historically sometimes taken from the deceased, which gave rise to the name “Ghost Hair.” Before performing, players would hang the costume in the jungle and bathe in turmeric to cleanse themselves and ward off evil spirits.

Over time, the tradition has evolved. Today, the play is more for entertainment and community spirit. Players now wear ghost costumes at home and join the festivities without the forest rituals or spiritual ceremonies. The costumes are kept and reused each year, and the cleansing rituals have mostly vanished since spiritual summoning is no longer practised.

In the past, “feathered ghosts” (or “hairy ghosts”) were forbidden from entering temples due to their association with the spirits of the dead. Today, they are welcome as part of the cultural heritage, adding colour and vibrancy to the Krua Tan procession and the celebration of tradition.

More to come...

 

[DavidFL]

The parade wrapped up at the temple, just as I thought it would.

The small grounds of the old wat were packed with ghosts and onlookers.

I tried snapping a few more photos and figuring out what was going on—what might happen next—but confusion seemed to rule the day.

Clearly, there was still more to come, and I’d definitely missed something big the day before.

Still, I was happy with the spectacle I’d seen—enough to make me want to learn more and maybe return another time, better prepared to really appreciate it.

Hot, hungry, and ready for a proper meal, I decided to call it a day and head home. I’d seen enough to know I wanted to come back.

6 hours after getting knocked back at the Wang Nua PTT Amazon, lung stepped inside to announce Hi Girls, lung's back for his morning cuppa.

Chaeson - Chiang Khong.

Departure time from Wat Si Luang Chaeson was 12 midday.
Arrival time at home in Chiang Khong was 5.15PM.
I had 3 stops along the way.
1. PTT Amazon Wang Nua.
2. Punthai Phayo.
3. PTT Phayao fuel top up only.
4. PTT / 7-11 Khun Ta to rehydrate & douse myself with 1.5 litres of cold water.

See you all on the road again soon.
A rocket festival beckons next.

 

[Dodraugen]

Nice find and some great photos there David!

The Muang Pan area and the southern part of the R1252 is a stunning area. I should check it out more later on….