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3. Tai Khuen 237
Tai Khuen settled in the city of Keng Tung, State of Chan, Myanmar. The tradition of Songkran Festival or
โ€Poy Sangkhanโ€, Tai Khuen people performed meritorious deeds and offered the food to the Buddhist monks,
dedicated the alms and carried the sands to the temple, joined in the apologized ceremony to the senior relations
and elders. Songkran Day of Tai Khuen people was proposed in 4 days; Wan Sankhan Long, Wan Song Sangkhan,
Wan Nao and Wan Phaya Wan (New Year Day).
The dominant characteristic of Songkran Festival in Tai Khuen was the praying ritual for the rainfall.
Tai Khuen made the figure of Khun Sangkhan in Wan Song Sangkhan and then paraded to the watercourse called
โ€Long Kobโ€ in the western of city โ€Keng Tungโ€, it separated from Khuen canal. The sculptor called โ€Ajanโ€ who
molded the figure of Khun Sangkhan or annual animal, he was the villager of Keng Tang and inherited the sculpturing
methods from his family. He placed the four pairs of incenses and candles to worship the deities at the Bodhi
Tree (Mai Sa Lee) in the core of city and also offered sacrifice each holy article of city such as Ho Fa Pan (4 pairs),
Ho Luang Thaen Kaew pairs (4 pairs), Chao Luang Kad (4 pairs), Chao Nong Tung (4 pairs), Chao Kut Chao Muang
(5 pairs), Chao Sam Muang (6 pairs) and Chao Phuak Nong Lai Tha Chang (2 pairs). The area of ceremony plunged
down the colored flags; white, yellow, green and red in 8 places. The drum was set up in the ritual and placed
the oblations called โ€Khan Tangโ€ consisted of white and red clothes 1 cubit per each, 1 head of betel-nut.
Subsequently, people invited the Buddhist monks praying the litany and then perfused the water from the soap
pod at the Bodhi tree. The people crowded to snatch the flags in the end of ceremony to stab down in the area
of their houses under the belief of peacefulness and happiness. In the next day, the ceremony of โ€Kan Klong Song
Kaen Khaeโ€ was performed by one officiant and two Lua guys who put on the red dressings, they banged the
drums all days all nights until 11.00 -12.00 am, they carried the drums to hang at Long Kob. The officiant and one
man asked the questions about the details of drums. Another one man answered that these drums called Chaiya
Mongkhol, when banged them towards the peacefulness of country and had to carry them to make sacrificial
ceremony called โ€Song Sangkhanโ€ in the next day. When they ended the questions, the officiant sculpted in the
figure of frog and then hanged it in the ceremony. The officiant announced to invite all eighty spirits of governors,
then he poked the small wooden stick in the figure of penis called โ€Mai Khaen Khaeโ€into the bottom of frog,
the Buddhist monks prayed the litany called Phra Dhamma Buddha Wangsa and then perfused the holy water
to the participants. When the officiant finished the ceremony, he had to sacrifice the pigโ€s head at Long Kob if it
was raining.29
