The Amazing Farang Krathong

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup TV Friends,

We bring you glad tidings of a joyous vision that has simmered (festered ?) in my farang's brain for some time now.

We all know the wonderful time of Loy Krathong approaches, whence, under the fully ripe moon, all of Chiang Mai will be full of happy, happy people, the banks of the Ping, the canals, verily even the small talay saaps, will be visited by farang and Thai alike, in both jocular and reverential spirits to place their lovely krathongs as offerings on the full bosom of the Mother of the River, Mae Nam.

And whilst our ears are shattered by loud explosions, our hair is possibly singed by the whizzing bottle-rockets launched everywhere (wear protective glasses at the bridge ... and earplugs), and the sky is full of hom fai, the silken flame-powered lanterns, who shall not rejoice ?

Anthropologists call this time of rite, of ritual : "limnal;" I've always seen it as a time when certain cultural realities which "normally" flow like a hidden subterranean artesian aquifer ... rise to the surface. To paraphrase what Margaret Mead once said : you can feel and see a visible difference in how people feel and act on the special days of ritual (sorry that I cannot remember exactly where I read this, and cite it accurately, and I fear I may be quoting her ex-husband, Bateson; so much for my farang's memory).

We have a vision of a remarkable krathong to be made by farangs from all different countries of the world; but this khratong will be "amazing" not just because this is, after all, "Amazing Thailand," but because it will be composed of living farangs !

Yes, we see a whole group of us, our human containers carefully buoyed up by strapped on flotation devices : we are floating down the River Ping arranged in as circular fashion as our numbers permit (in the same way parachutists do mass dives linking hands).

In the center of our floating symbolic human unity will be a giant heart-shaped krathong alit with candles and incense, covered in flowers, flying a Thai flag with a sign saying, in Thai, "Farangs Who Love Thailand."

And, here's an idea : on each of our body's we may through some clever apparatus mount a small flag of our home countries.

Probably a good idea to take out an event insurance policy in the case of casulaties from drowning or being exploded by the major ordnance dropped into waters ? It's nice to think that any body parts lost in the floating would feed the fishes, however.

Well, lots to be done, and this is, after all, just a sketch, a paint-by-the-numbers outline, waiting for you to add color, to join in, to add your unique vision to what could be done.

While the idea did go through my farang's brain, like an overdose of phrik kee noo, of having all participants be nud_e, and turn our very human containers themselves into elaborate decorations, that would probably not be respectful of Thai sensibilities and get us all persona-non-grata'd out of paradise. So, scratch that.

The only thing we would oppose on principle would be something like repeated singing of that dreadful dirge "Kumbayah."

Please join me in creating the "Amazing Farang Krathong" to express our love for being in this wonderful city and culture.

best, ~o:37;

[eek]

nvm..i didnt read it right..lol..will post later.

Edited October 13, 2009 by eek

[alant]

when does the fleshy farang kratong intend to float?

[Bearnagh]

Could be a lot of fun. Hey, why not! let's organise it. Who's in?

[trainman34014]

Sawasdee Khrup TV Friends,

We bring you glad tidings of a joyous vision that has simmered (festered ?) in my farang's brain for some time now.

We all know the wonderful time of Loy Krathong approaches, whence, under the fully ripe moon, all of Chiang Mai will be full of happy, happy people, the banks of the Ping, the canals, verily even the small talay saaps, will be visited by farang and Thai alike, in both jocular and reverential spirits to place their lovely krathongs as offerings on the full bosom of the Mother of the River, Mae Nam.

And whilst our ears are shattered by loud explosions, our hair is possibly singed by the whizzing bottle-rockets launched everywhere (wear protective glasses at the bridge ... and earplugs), and the sky is full of hom fai, the silken flame-powered lanterns, who shall not rejoice ?

Anthropologists call this time of rite, of ritual : "limnal;" I've always seen it as a time when certain cultural realities which "normally" flow like a hidden subterranean artesian aquifer ... rise to the surface. To paraphrase what Margaret Mead once said : you can feel and see a visible difference in how people feel and act on the special days of ritual (sorry that I cannot remember exactly where I read this, and cite it accurately, and I fear I may be quoting her ex-husband, Bateson; so much for my farang's memory).

We have a vision of a remarkable krathong to be made by farangs from all different countries of the world; but this khratong will be "amazing" not just because this is, after all, "Amazing Thailand," but because it will be composed of living farangs !

Yes, we see a whole group of us, our human containers carefully buoyed up by strapped on flotation devices : we are floating down the River Ping arranged in as circular fashion as our numbers permit (in the same way parachutists do mass dives linking hands).

In the center of our floating symbolic human unity will be a giant heart-shaped krathong alit with candles and incense, covered in flowers, flying a Thai flag with a sign saying, in Thai, "Farangs Who Love Thailand."

And, here's an idea : on each of our body's we may through some clever apparatus mount a small flag of our home countries.

Probably a good idea to take out an event insurance policy in the case of casulaties from drowning or being exploded by the major ordnance dropped into waters ? It's nice to think that any body parts lost in the floating would feed the fishes, however.

Well, lots to be done, and this is, after all, just a sketch, a paint-by-the-numbers outline, waiting for you to add color, to join in, to add your unique vision to what could be done.

While the idea did go through my farang's brain, like an overdose of phrik kee noo, of having all participants be nud_e, and turn our very human containers themselves into elaborate decorations, that would probably not be respectful of Thai sensibilities and get us all persona-non-grata'd out of paradise. So, scratch that.

The only thing we would oppose on principle would be something like repeated singing of that dreadful dirge "Kumbayah."

Please join me in creating the "Amazing Farang Krathong" to express our love for being in this wonderful city and culture.

best, ~o:37;

The Mind Boggles!

[WaiWai]

orang37, I am not sure if it's the human or the farang in you, or some fearful but wondrous symbiosis, but an evil genius lurks somewhere within.

Ever read Peter Carey's "Oscar and Lucinda"? Or just been hypnotized by synchronized swimmng events again? Benetton advertisements?

I look forward to reading further details of the project. Perhaps we could apply for funding from an NGO or charitable organization for orang/farang rapprochement ?

Edit: final sentence may have not sounded as it should. Just ignore it. How about we aim for a Nobel Peace Prize?

Edited October 14, 2009 by WaiWai

[Tanaka]

Mind boggling, right. Now I am glad I am in Udon.