After a brief layover amidst the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, I arrived at the smaller and quieter Chiang Mai airport late night.
After some confusion where the cab driver tried to drop me off in front of a hospital, I finally found Spicythai and was greeted by Emily, a Californian native who’s been living/working there for the past few months (see her story here!).
<<< This is Emily with her Obama gear as we watched the election the day after.
I was then introduced to a couple of Danish guys as we walked upstairs to my dorm room, which I shared with a few girls from England, Australia, and Canada. Various accents of English and other languages can be heard in the crowded common room where people were drinking, chatting, and watching the movie Into the Wild (very appropriate for this group of adventurer seekers). . It’s been a while since I stayed at a hostel, and it is quite another world compared to the platinum treatment I’ve gotten used to at SPG hotels. But it is really the only way to travel when you are on the road solo 🙂
The next day, everyone had to get up early because there was going to be a special housewarming party. The tradition was called keun ban mai, where a group of 5, 7, or 9 Buddhist monks come to bless a new home soon after move in. Since monks considered higher in status than ordinary people, no one can be on the second floor when they are inside the house, which meant all the guests were invited to observe the housewarming ceremony instead. When I came downstairs early next morning, the staff was already busy setting up for the ceremony. There was a temporary Buddhist altar in the corner with flowers, candles and incense, and a tall teepee like structure in the middle of the house.
Noom, the hostel owner explain to us quite a great deal about what the structure represents. Unfortunately I can’t seem to remember much, except that banana leafs and sugar cane are supposed to represent longevity, and you had to have a certain number of bananas to ensure good fortune.
White strings, or sai sin, were tied to the buddha and connected to various corners of the house. These are meant to keep out evil spirits, so the goal was to cover as much space as possible!
Since all the hostel guests were invited to atend the ceremony, Noom and the gang tied many strings to the sai sin surrounding the house, so we can be blessed along with the house.
As we waited in the TV area, somehow the monks snuck in without any of us noticing! The five monks sat in lotus position along the wall, with the most senior monk next to the altar.
He began reading from a very old and sacred looking piece of paper, and we followed the Thai people in putting our hands in prayer.
Little did we know that this part of the ceremony would last for about an hour! Since only the head monk spoke, the rest of the monks sat with their eyes closed, and I’m 95% sure that 2 of them were sleeping through most of it. -_-zzzzz
As the head monk finally finished reading his script, the other monks picked up the remainder roll of the white string, and began passing it around while chanting. This also lasted a very long time…
As the monks chanted, all the attendees each picked up a white string and tied it around our heads. I guess the blessings would flow through the strings into each of us?
After the chanting was completed, offerings were given to the monks and the temple. There is no specific rule as to what you should offer, so it’s really just based on your own faith. Since it was winter, Noom prepared blankets and a box of common medicine for the monks.
Meanwhile the head monk went upstairs, sprinkling holy water along the way. We all got a bit of the holy sprinkles too.
Before the monks left, the people received the holy string from the monks, which was tied either around their necks or wrist. Unfortunately these monks are not allowed to even touch women, so we could not get the special treatment 🙁 The Thai women who attended the ceremony were nice enough to tie the strings on our wrists and we were told it works just as well as having the monks do it.
The monks’ job was complete then, and our whole blessed household was ready to feast! Noom set up a buffet in the courtyard outside, and I had my first delicious meal in Thailand with new friends 🙂
The auspicious day for housewarming also turned out to be the day for the presidential election back home, so I spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the sofa following the election coverage. It’s quite humbling to watch my own country’s election a few thousand miles away, with world citizens who seem to care more about it than our own citizens. Even though I didn’t get to vote, it was great to experience the excitement of a close race half the world away!
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