“We are here at Sai Keaw beach in Thalang. Observing at an unusual annual ceremony.” This unusual ceremony is called ‘Sleeping on the beach’ or ‘Norn Had’, where the people of a Morgan community get together and build temporary shacks made of bamboo and coconut leaves. They laid mattresses on the beach underneath their shacks and sleep watching the stars. The ceremony was held at Thalang district in ‘Ban-Hin-Look-Diew’ or ‘One Stone Village’ among the same morgan tribe who Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, paid a short visit to in 2006 as part of a United Nation Development Program Project. The ceremony is part of the sea gypsies or Morgan tribe’s culture belief. The ceremony or celebration is held every year for sacrifice and putting objects in a sacred place for the ritual of the ‘One Stone Deity of the Sea’. The ceremony required that every sea gypsy who lives in and around the area should attend it. The ceremony was for 3 nights and 4 days and in each day there were games, activities and worshipping to help unite the community. Phuket Governor Preecha Rungjan also attended the ceremony on the 9th of February. He watched the dance show performed by sea gypsies’ housewives and he also helped plant trees. Each household has to look after their own given tree and make sure that it will not die. This method is used to build awareness for people in the community to gather and show helping hands with compassion and consideration. We chatted to a Morgan lady from ‘Tha-Chat-Chai’; she told us that she came to ‘Baan Hin Look Diew’ or ‘One stone village’ every year and she was grateful for this ceremony. She also sees it as an annual re-union of the population. “I am so proud of this ceremony because it brings Thai and Morgan people to unite and bring in the community as a whole. We also have Morgan from Satun and Ranong provinces traveling down to join us here.” Some members also see it as a good break and rest from fishing all year long at the sea. The benefit of this tradition was to relieve villagers’ worries and bad thoughts, bringing new lives to the village and to conserve the cultural tradition for the next generation. “Those were very unique ceremonies, weren’t they? Well, that’s the life of the Morgan people. I’m Zenniesha reporting for Andaman News saying goodbye now. Bye.”
Special Thanks for Andaman News NBT (VHF dial) + Radio Thailand FM90.5 at 8.30am & perhaps repeats on Phuket Cable TV channel 1 at 7pm & 1am, broadcast to Phang Nga, Krabi & Phuket provinces
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/
