Rites And Rituals

[bina]

would also like to know the words and meaning to this questions:

in israel the thai workers maintain several of these rites (a 'brotherhood rite for instance); the string tying on birthdays and before going home in which usually an older man inthe group that spent more time as a monk (i guess cause they can never explain ) does the chanting, the incense, and with the lack of flowers in winter here, innovate for other things....

what are they chanting for instance (do you have a copy?), is it the same every time?

[sabaijai]

would also like to know the words and meaning to this questions:

in israel the thai workers maintain several of these rites (a 'brotherhood rite for instance); the string tying on birthdays and before going home in which usually an older man inthe group that spent more time as a monk (i guess cause they can never explain ) does the chanting, the incense, and with the lack of flowers in winter here, innovate for other things....

what are they chanting for instance (do you have a copy?), is it the same every time?

This sounds like the Lao/Isan tradition of phuuk siaw ('tying friends'). The person chanting is the appointed maw phawn (literally 'wish doctor', a kind of shaman or lay pastor). The verses may be vary according to the individual but will usually mix a few standard Buddhist verses with general well-wishing, such as "May you/they have a healthy life, happiness, freedom from danger," etc. Usually the same every time but could be modified for particular occasions, like when a person is ill.

[cdnvic]

Is this string tying related to the similar ritual at many weddings?

cv

[sabaijai]

Is this string tying related to the similar ritual at many weddings?

cv

Yes. Both make use of white cotton string (called bai sii in central Thai, baa sii in Lao/Isan/Northern Thai) that has been blessed by monks or shamans and that 'links' those tied with it to some special power, whether it's a Buddha image and monks (in the case of house/building dedications, weddings, etc) or the ritual offerings presided over by a maw phawn in more shamanistic Lao/Isan/Northern Thai rituals.

The Lao/Isan/Northern Thai lay rituals involve short lengths of string tied about the wrists, and the main intention is to bind the khwan (32 different spirits attached to various body organs or bodily functions) to the person being tied. Thus this is mainly an animistic ritual. The offerings, artfully arranged on a footed metal bowl, make include fruit, flowers, boiled eggs, etc.

The grander wedding/house dedication ceremonies -- called phiti mongkhon -- use several metres worth of string in a single length and the intention is to attach Buddhist blessings to the participants. Although expressly Buddhist in intent, it's very likely that the string-tying was inherited from pre-Buddhist animism in Thailand and Laos.

[bina]

ok,

so on my birthday we did the string tying thing here with someone 'in place' of a monk;

but not everyone gave me the same strings...

some had a small knot , some had a a braided area; some people put three on me at once; one person had a string bracelet from his local wat sent to him by his wife as a present to me..... what are the differences?

what are the differences between these and the bracelets that the people get in the wats and the the 'wat mobiles' that come around occasionally, where all the women and kids run out to get blessed and get coloured strings /or bracelets? i was also told that it would give me 'good dreams', 'relieve my heart of sad thoughts', etc.

just put in few pics called 'bina's birthday' ; will add more, my 14 yr old did the pics this time round so not stunning....but gives general idea

i t rather remainds me of the 'baba sali' things here:

old men and women , many times beggars, get red strings that have been blessed supposedly by the baba sali (a rabbi that has 'special powers' -- somethng frowned upon by orthodox judaism, but the sephardic -oriental- sects still accept and believe in).... a person gives the beggar a few coins, and you get the red string ... a popular one is one that has been blessed by the baba sali or similar at Rachels' tomb, or other famous graves of righteous people, especially for women who are barren, or need blessings for their home life...most of us get red strings to put on our babies at least once in their lives.... i've never seen this outside of israel and was hard pressed to explain to my parents for instance....

once got one for a thai friend, he wore it for three days and took it off , the same as the white strings.....

it seems to me that 'pure philisophical thought' like pure buddhism, or even 'pure' religioun w/o the 'mumbo jumbo' is not really enough for most people in their daily lives ; if u think about it, our lives are pretty terrifying really: children get sick and can die, accidents happen, etc etc....

even orthodox jews, and catholic believers, have their additional blessings by saints, string tying things, good luck charms, symbols of protection etc etc....

just morning ramblings before off to the zoo...

Edited January 14, 2005 by bina

[sabaijai]

Bina, I don't know what all the different knots mean but I suspect it's simply the aesthetic choice of the folks tying them. And there are the more fancy yellow or red bai sii available from some wats in Thailand, usually blessed by a particular monk.