Creative Dance Creation to Promote Cultural Tourism in Nob Phra Len Phleng Traditional Festival, Kamphaeng Phet Province

Abstract

              Kamphaeng Phet Province is one of Thailand's historically significant ancient cities. During the Sukhothai period, Kamphaeng Phet served as a frontier city, constantly facing warfare. This has resulted in numerous historical artifacts remaining today, such as ancient temples, fortresses, moats, and city walls. This makes Kamphaeng Phet a major center for historical tourism in Thailand. Besides its ancient sites showcasing the city's prosperity, it also boasts rich cultural traditions, most notably the "Nop Phra Len Phleng" (Paying Homage to the Buddha and Playing Music) festival. This festival is a merit-making event held on the full moon of the third lunar month, or Makha Bucha Day.

              The name of the Nop Phra-Len Phleng festival in Kamphaeng Phet is derived from an inscription on the Sri Nakhon Chum stone tablet, inscription number 3, which reads: "Whoever bows and worships the Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat and Phra Sri Maha Bodhi will receive abundant merit as if they had bowed to the Lord Buddha himself..." "Nop" is an ancient word meaning to pay homage; therefore, Nop Phra means "paying homage to the Buddha." "Len Phleng" refers to traditional folk entertainment, including folk songs and dances, performed by both men and women, following the merit-making ceremony. The Nob Phra-Len Phleng Festival was first held in 1983, a collaborative effort between Kamphaeng Phet Province, the Fine Arts Department, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. The organizers incorporated historical events from the reign of King Lithai, specifically his journey with his queen, courtiers, and subjects from Chakangrao and Nakhon Chum to worship the Buddha's footprint at Khao Sumanakut in Sukhothai, and then to offer homage to the Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat at Wat Phra Borommathat in Nakhon Chum.

              Due to the importance of this tradition and to promote its appeal and cultural tourism, the organizing committee created the "Nob Phra - Makha Purnami" Buddhist dance performance. This performance was intended for the Nob Phra-Len Phleng Festival on the full moon of the third lunar month, or Makha Bucha Day, and to further promote tourism and encourage attendance at the festival. The performance was created in two formats: Format 1: Stage performance. The original version uses 6-8-10 performers, while the second version uses over 100 performers. The first time this performance was presented at the opening ceremony of the Nob Phra-Len Phleng festival in 2018, it involved over 3000 performers. The performance has since been developed and modified to better suit the venue and purpose of the festival.

              This dance has been used for the opening ceremony of the Nob Phra-Len Phleng festival, various other occasions, and also serves to promote cultural tourism and preserve Thai classical dance.