 | Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand |  |
Making the `prasaat peueng'
The prasaat peueng is a palanquin-type structure, which is said to represent
a palace. It may be noted it is similar to the prasaat rajawang made for
the Bun Kathin rites (see Chapter 10, p. 158).[5]
(The village interpretation
is that it is made so that the dead man can live in it in heaven.) Various
gifts are placed inside and are presented to the monks on the following
day, in order to make merit for the dead man.
The assemblage of people for making the prasaat was far in excess of
those actually needed. Large quantities of food were cooked on this day,
both to feed the participants and, more importantly, to feed the monks on
the following day at a grand merit-making ceremony.
The prasaat type architecture is usually a building with tiered roofs typical of religious
buildings and royal palaces, and is strictly regulated by sumptuary laws. Conical structures
appear in various rituals in the village; what is not allowed or possible in real life makes
its appearance in ritual situations which invoke successfully the grand religious and royal
styles.
| Buddhism and the spirit cults in North-east Thailand | |