TEO Newsletter August 2006

Dear friends,

August is over and we prepare for our holiday from 7. - 27.9.

Some classes of Nong Song Hong High school went to Ubon Ratchathani to watch the candle festival there and spend a night in a temple. They asked their volunteer to join and so we have some photos of the celebrations, but no time yet to produce a photoalbum.

We have a construction site beside the volunteer houses and for a long time it was nerve wrecking during the day. Most volunteers missed it because they usually spent their day between school, Internet cafe, shopping and eating out. But the staff suffered. The work is coming to an end now and after our holiday we hope the building is finshed.


Your TEO-Team

All mobile numbers in Thailand change

From 1.9. on can use the new mobile numbers, on 30.11. the old numbers are disabled. All mobile users get a new 10 digit number. Existing numbers get an extra digit by adding an 8 after the first 0 or the country code for Thailand.

Example: 07 333 56 23 will be 087 333 56 23
Fixed-line telephone numbers remain the same.

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Rice for the poor

rice for the poorThe Sawang Kong Ka Tamasatan Foundation organized a rice and other necessities give-away for the poor in Nongkhai beginning of August and asked if we would like to take part. Donating money was one thing but they also wanted helpers to hand out rice bags, bottles of fish sauce and clothes. Some of the recipients were obviously surprised to see foreigners and shy to take from us. Especially Brad with his new learned Thai phrases managed to overcome their shyness fast and his row was always the longest.

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Por-Moh, the "Magic Blow Man" is dead

magic blow man
Many of our former volunteer will remember their visit in Nong Bua Lampoo for a healing massage by the Magic Blow Man. It was always painful but really helped.

Por-Moh died after a several month lasting illness at the age of 77 in his home.

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H.M. Queens Birthday Celebration

It rained so it was held inside the administrative hall. We were the only foreigner present and in the beginning people were tense and concentrated not to miss their clue to walk up front and present their offerings. The celebration ends with singing and spreading the light from the birthday candle in front, quite impressive experience. Afterwards the room light is turned on again and people begun to relax and

1976 Her Majesty the Queen's birthday became also the official Mother's Day in Thailand. The symbol is jasmine flower, a white, soft and sweet smelling flower that looks like a very tiny rose. It blooms the whole year and is also used to treat heart conditions. Tradition says jasmine represents the virtues of a mother, thinking of other first and caring for their well-being and happiness.

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Mid Chinese New Year - Sart Jeen

sart jeen dayOn the fifteenth day of the seventh month of the lunar year Chinese and their decendants celebrate the "Sart Jeen Day".

Lun again invited all volunteers to her house to celebrate the Sart Jeen Day together and help to pay respect to house spirits and ancestors. The ritual is very much like the one for the Chinese New Year. First you visit the Buddha room and pay your respect to Lord Buddha and King Rama V. as well as the deceased parents. The you go round to all spirit houses, light incense and pay respect before you finally access the table set up for the ancestors.

All spirit houses and the ancestors get a table full of food and drinks. It includes rice, the Thai and Chinese staple food, but also Whiskey, tea, orange juice and soft drinks, boiled duck, chicken and pork as well as eggs and 5 sorts of fruit.

Special food for this day is kanom keng, made of sweetened glutinous rice flour steamed in a round banana leaf cup, and kanom thian, same ingredients plus spicy soy paste, wrapped in banana leaves folded into a pyramide.

And later the ancestors and roaming ghosts get offering in form of paper clothes, money and other necessities like mobiles or Mercedeces cars. Tradion says what you send to the ancestors by burning they send back for you to enjoy in this life.

Lun bought a lot of gold paper, a symbol for wealth, and showed the volunteers how to fold it. The gold It's just a pity that everything gets burned soon after. Nongkhai has several shops where one can buy all sorts paper modells and gold and silver paper as well as money from the Hell Bank to burn on Chinese holidays.

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Successful teacher training

teacher trainingTeachers from several schools spend two days learning Photoshop from Doeke, one of our Dutch volunteers. Adjarn Samrith, the headmaster of the High school in Nong Song Hong was very helpful in organizing this workshop. Wanwisa, one of the English teachers translated into Thai for the teachers who do not speak English. At the end everybody was able to manipulate photos with Photoshop and create nice greeting cards.

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Upcoming Thai Festivals and Holidays

  • 7. October 2006 Ok Phansa & Thot Kathin
    The End of Buddhist Lent Festival - This day is the end of the Buddhist Lent that lasts three month every year. Buddhists will make merit and offer food and other necessary goods to the monks. Time for the robe offering ceremonies ("thot kathin"). These ceremonies are performed during one month.
    Many activities originated on this day and have been passed on to the present generation such as the wax castle offering and illuminated boat procession to worship the Naga king.
  • 7. October 2005 Naga Festival
    Bang Fai Phaya Naga is said to be a natural phenomenon. Fireballs can be seen rising up from the Maekhong River on the night at the end of the Buddhist Lent. Many people come to Nongkhai every year, hotels are booked out a long time in advance, and traffic that evening is like Bangkok at rush hour. There is also a friendship boat race between Thailand and Laos during this time.
  • 23. October Chulalongkorn Memorial Day
    King Chulalongkorn or Rama V. is memorated for the modernisation of Thailand and thanks to his politics Thailand did not become a colony.
  • 5. November 2006 Full moon night of the 12th lunar months Loy Kratong
    Not an official holiday, but a festival you should not miss when in Thailand. People float little containers with a candle, joss sticks and a coin to thank the river goddess and get rid of their past years sins.
    Kratongs were originally made from natural matrials, using banana trunks and leaves. In modern times people often replaces it with artificial floats from styrofaom. The government lauched an initiative to preserve nature and encurages people to go back to the natural material to avoid polution.

Overview of all Thai festivals and holidays

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