Phi Ta Khon Stock Image

Phi Ta Khon is a type of masked procession celebrated on the first day of a three-day Buddhist merit-making holiday known in Thai as “Boon Pra Wate”. The annual festival takes place in *May, June or July at a small town of Dan Sai in the northeastern province of Loei. Participants of the festival dress up like ghosts and monsters wearing huge masks made from carved coconut-tree trunks, topped with a wicker-work sticky-rice steamer. The procession is marked by a lot of music and dancing. The precise origin of the Phi Ta khon is unclear. However, it can be traced back to a traditional Buddhist folklore. In the Buddha’s next to last life, he was the beloved Prince Vessandorn. The prince was said to go on a long trip for such a long time that his subjects forgot him and even thought that he was already dead. When he suddenly returned, his people were over-joyed. They welcomed him back with a celebration so loud that it even awoke the dead who then joined in all the fun.