An Analysis of Rain-making Rituals : Towards all understanding Of Northern Thai Religion

Abstract

This presentation is an attempt to rethink the religious complex in a village context, and is based upon a cursory recapitulation of impressions which I had in the course of field-research in Chiengmai, Northern Thailand, from January 1976 to January 1977. The anthropological study of village religious complex has been distorted by some obscure concepts, i. e. syncretism, animism and the great tradition vs. the little. These concepts are convenient labels under which one can be easily persuaded that he comprehends what is really unclear and incomprehensive. These concepts are vague, in a sense, and aid little in a proper understanding of the problem concerned. Instead. I try to illuminate features of village religion primarilly through detailed analysis of rituals, since, in northern Thailand, religion is recognized by the practice of rituals, par excellence. Essentially I am devoting this analysis to the discussion of rainmaking rituals. Rain-making rituals are chosen here, for three reasons. The first is that the purpose of the ritual is very plain. The second is that there are two types of ritual with a common purpose. The third one is that rain-making is of vital importance to a rice-cultivating society. Specifically in 1976, people of the village P, located at the south-east edge of Chiengmai river basin. suffered from the scarcity of rainfall. The people concerned have three occasions for rain-making during the rainy season. The first one is the collective rite performed at the Buddhist temples on the opening day of Buddhist Lent. Second is the collective temple rite conducted on the day of annual major merit-making ceremony. Third is the placation of the river-head guardian spirit held on the river-beach at the mountain side. The first and the second rites have common characteristics as follows. They are performed by monks at Buddhist temples on the occasion of two annual major merit-making ceremonies. The rainmaking rite itself consists of magical chanting (parit), sprinkling lustral water and offerings to the Three jewels of Buddhism. People call these two rituals tham bun kho fon (merit-making for rain=making) generally. The third ritual is performed by lay specialists and is characterized by an invocation and offerings, including the sacrifice of an ox, to one particular guardian spirit. People call this ritual liang phii puu naam (placation of river-head spirit). In order to present a picture of village religion, I try to see how these two types of rain-making rites are differenciated according to the following criteria : the occasion of the ritual, the place of performance, the range of participation, the officiants, the contents of offerings, the ritual language and the objects of the ritual. Let me explain the distinctive features of each rain-making rite based upon the above-mentioned criteria. Around the first criterion, the occasion of ritual, the temple rain-making rite is performed on the annual collective merit-making occasion as one component of the day-long ceremony. The placation of river-head spirit is performed as particularly independent ceremony. With regard to the second criterion, one is performed at a Buddhist temple and the other on a river-beach at the mountain side. The Buddhist temple is a conspicuous physical structure in villages and the marked place that shows sacredness. The holy precinct of a temple is a demarcated place and the temple buildings are semi-permanent structures.