Dan Kwian Earthenware Village

Dan Kwian Earthenware VillageLiterally, Dan Kwian means 'bullock cart checkpoint.' The village was so named because it used to be a rest area for caravan traders, who traveled in bull carts from Nakhon Ratchasima to Buriram, Surin and further onward to lower Khmer. In the old days, local people of the district made different types of pottery from the clay from the banks of the Moon River. All these products were made in great quantities and bartered for food or necessary materials as well as sold in other regions.

Traditional music and dance ......Pleng korat

Pleng Korat: a form of folk tradition of the Thai Korat, is considered an alternate song between male and female that requires a great deal of singers' ability, knowledge, resourcefulness as well as wisdom. Its unique words and rhythm reflect very distinctly the culture of the Thai Korat. In this thesis, the researcher bases his study of Pleng Korat on the theoretical framework of Ethnomusicology in which forms, contents and procedures of both lyrics and rhythm are analyzed. The objective of the study is to observe the development of Pleng Korat from the past up to the present with the focus on ‘original' Pleng Korat which has become less and less popular these days. From the study, it was found that Pleng Korat has undergone some development and that its forms, contents and procedures have changed considerably. While singers' creativity as well as listeners' taste constitute one reason, the other reason results from socio-cultural changes within the Thai Korat community. More varieties of Pleng Korat are created to accommodate the needs of the community. Pleng Korat Kae Bon, which is sung to fulfil one's vow or to make a votive offering, and Pleng Korat Sing, a mixture of typical Pleng Korat and modern folk, are two examples of well-known new-age Pleng Korat currently being performed. Regardless of the changes, Pleng Korat still preserves its distinguished lyrical and rhythmic characteristics, especially the Korat verse and “O” rhythm. However, whether Pleng Korat continues to be popular or not depends greatly on each singer's knowledge as well as the particular artist's own techniques of singing.

Long Boat Racing Phimai Featival

Long Boat-Racing Festival is arranged every year during Thai Buddhist Lent Period (about September or October) on days that river tide is highest. The festival will be held by local people beside rivers from provinces which big rivers pass by such as Phisanulok province, Phichit province has Nan Riv er and Ang-Thong province, Ayutthaya province, Pathum-Thani province has Chao-Phraya River. Boats, which they use on the festival, will be chose and made from auspicious trees of each area's believing. They train and prepare rowing-crews to be most fit and ready for being their agent of the festival.Long Boat-Racing Festival is one of Thai traditions which has been arranged continuously since Ayutthaya time (about 600 years ago) for preparing and making morale, courage and strength to rowing-crews, as every Thai men were power of the country, for a war which could began anytime from aggression.Presently, Long Boat-Racing Festival is one of Thai sport. There are awards, cups from members of royal family of Chakri Dynasty or agent including honor and reputation. So, it is a prize of victory that everyone try to get but somehow it shows in a way of enjoyment and happiness, not only rowing-crews but the members of the area and audiences too.Therefore, Long Boat-Racing Festival that is arranged every year in different provinces, especially in Phichit province which this year is arranged on 2-3 September and Phitsanulok province which this year is arranged on 16-17 September, is very interesting and joyful festival of Thailand which audiences, Thai people and visitors, can touch. Besides, audiences also can see each beautiful decorative long boat that be made from each local believing and idea and also can feel the simultaneous step and intending of rowing-crews for victory of their own locality.
Vocabularykum-sab (คำศัพท์)
ReadingLong boatroer-yarw (เรือยาว)
Racinggarn khaeng-khan (การแข่งขัน)
Rivermae-num (แม่น้ำ)
Auspicious treeston-mai mong-kon (ต้นไม้มงคล)
Believekwarm-choer (ความเชื่อ)
Rowing crewsphee-pary (ฝีพาย)
Continuouslytor-noerng (ต่อเนื่อง)
Moralegum-lang jai (กำลังใจ)
Courageglar-harn (กล้าหาญ)
Strengthkheam-khaeng
(เข้มแข็ง)Warsong-krarm (สงคราม)
Aggressiongarn-rug-rarn (การรุกราน)
Sportgee-lar (กีฬา)
Reputationgiad-ti-yod(เกียรติยศ)
Victorycha-na (ชนะ)
Decorativekroerng-pra-dab / kroerng-tog-taeng (เครื่องประดับ / เครื่องตกแต่ง)


Phimai Boat Races - Nakhon Ratchasima

For over a hundred years, thousands of people from the town of Nakhon Ratchasima and the surrounding provinces have flocked to the small, riverside town of Phimai for the annual Phimai Boat Races. These longboat races take place on the Mun River, a tributary of the Mekong, and are held at the same time as the Prasat Hin Phimai Festival and the national festival of Loy Krathong, usually in late October or early November.

Prasat Hin Phimai National Historical Park

Prasat Hin Phimai National Historical ParkNakhon Ratchasima
At the height of the Khmer era Nakhon Ratchasima was an important route into the Khmer kingdom. This fact is reflected by Prasat Hin Phimai National Historical Park. Parts of the park are actually older than Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It features a huge Angkor white sandstone shrine (around 30 metres tall) which is surrounded by smaller pink-coloured shrines. The park also houses Thailand’s largest number of Khmer buildings. Four gateways are visible in the compound and there are a number of sculptures leading to the shrine. The site is currently being restored to its former glory, but as it stands it is still very impressive – aside from Angkor Wat, Prasat Hin Phimai National Historical Park offers some of the best examples of Khmer architecture. The park also has a modern museum with a small gift shop and restaurant where some of its more precious artifacts are shown.

Prasat Hin Phimai Tambon Nai Muang Amphoe Phimai Changwat Nakhon Ratchasima

Prasat Hin Phimai Tambon Nai Muang Amphoe Phimai Changwat Nakhon Ratchasima