Around Uttaradit – Lablae District – One Must Not Tell A Lie
August 26th, 2009 at 2:10am |
Lablae District – The Land of Fantasy (Uttaradit, Thailand)
Lablae district, “a hidden city”?? or ??” The Land of Fantasy” is located about 8km from the Uttaradit’s city province in the Lower North of Thailand. The province has a long history dating back to at least the Sukhothai period (13th century). A flourishing port for regional trade, it was renamed the Port of the North, by King Rama V (1868 – 1910) and made a provincial capital.
“Kang Pu Ya” Ceremony (Lablae, Uttaradit)
We made a brief stopover in Lablae district on our way to Phisanulok province, I was invited by Ms Jittima Sukpalin, the Director of TAT Sukhothai Office to attend an annual remembrance ceremony in honor of relatives who had passed away at two local temples (Wat Chedi Kiriviharn and Wat Patum Kongka) located at Tambon Failuang Lablae District. The “Kang Pu Ya” ceremony is a very unique festival celebration in Uttaradit province where the local communities pay homage to their ancestors during Khao Phansa(Buddhist Lent) , also called Rains Retreat. During this peroid of time, the monks stay in the temple during the rainy season lasting for three lunar months from July to October.
Amazing performance during the ceremony
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Signature breeds Lablae durians
The ceremony is quite similar to the Chinese Qingming Festival but celebrated in traditional Thai style includes a colourful procession on inner and outer routes of the temple. Traditionally, the Chinese take time on this day to visit graves, mausoleums and crematoriums to perform prayers, ceremonies and rituals to honor ancestors. Instead of using only cash money in modern merit making,??the villagers have chosen to cling more on their rich traditional past by offering??local fruits and even tree samplings such??as the signature breeds Lablae durian, mangosteen and langsat, an assortment of tropical flowers and?? daily essential items like?? pens, tobacco, etc beautifully??decorated and place on a wooden sedan chair.??After the ceremony, all items??are donated to respective temples. I will blog about the details of the ceremony later.
Langsat (Lansium domesticum), the famous fruit of Uttaradit
Beside its unique culture heritage, Mueang Lablae is blessed with a fertile land that could produce crops all year round and most of Lablae villagers earn??their living from ??farming and planting. ??The villagers call their local mountain the ???Edible Mountain??? or ‘Puu Khao Kin Dai’ in Thai. It is famous for its langsat, durian, and shallot.??In?? olden times,????it ??was once known as a??widow village where men mysteriously disappeared into the forest.
Traditional wooden toys maker
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Mud mee silk weaving
During free time, the villagers of Mueang Lablae also produce authentic handicrafts for sale to earn supplemental income for the family such as Teenchok cloth weaving, traditional wooden toys, blanket, Tongkong sweeper which has brought fame to Mueang Lablae as well.
??Teenchok cloth weaving by local Tai Yuan women (Lablae, Uttaradit)??
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Khao Pun Phak, local delicacy in Lablae district
From a view point, Mueang Lablae is a simple rural village, surrounded with rice fields, gardens, wooden houses and temples and Lablae villagers live peacefully and welcoming visitors with open arms throughout the year. Even though my visit was really short, it was a wonderful rural experience.
Friendly Lablae villagers
??Lablae District??surrounded with rice fields, gardens, wooden houses and temples (Uttaradit)
