Thank You

Above are some images from Donlengthai's recent "Saen Nge Thaa" celebration. This local ceremony is held in the months following the harvest and before the spring planting. It is a way of saying "Thank You" to the community ancestors' spirits and communicating to them that the soil is being tilled again to plant winter crops or prepare the soil for the spring rains. All of the families in the community gather near a large spirit house with offerings of rice, vegetables, prepared foods, drinks and alcohol. After everything is prepared and offered up to the community ancestors, the celebration begins. Everyone sits together to enjoy the food brought to the spirit house and a bit of rice whiskey is consumed. Simple, beautiful, local traditions like these play an important role in the growing cycles of Surin's small-scale rice farmers. The Donlengthai community works hard to preserve these traditions.