The Ritual of Making Khao Thip at Wat Don Fai, Don Fai Subdistrict, Mae Tha District, Lampang Province

An Ethnography of Communication Approach

Abstract

This article analyzes the ritual of making Khao Thip at Wat Don Fai, Don Fai Subdistrict, Mae Tha District, Lampang Province. The ritual is held annually on "Wan Pat Peng" or Visakha Puja Day. The study uses the ethnography of communication approach by collecting data at Wat Don Fai through participant observation and interviews with ritual participants. The research findings indicate that the ritual of making Khao Thip is a communicative event within the communicative situation of the Visakha Puja Day celebrations at Wat Don Fai. The ritual is a religious and communicative event related to the Buddhist consecration ceremony, which is conducted in the ordination hall. According to the SPEAKING concept, the ritual of making Khao Thip encompasses various components. The ritual space is constructed using an area outside the ordination hall but within the premises of Wat Don Fai. It is enclosed by ceremonial fencing, with four corners and four entrances/exits. Participants in the event include groups of monks, groups of virgin girls who stir the Khao Thip, villagers assigned to oversee the ritual, and other devoted villagers who wish to assist with the related activities. The sequence of communicative acts starts with preparation, followed by stirring the Khao Thip, packaging it, and finally, offering it respectively. Both non-verbal or body language and verbal or spoken language are used throughout the ritual. In addition, communication and interaction take place in an atmosphere of solemnity and sacredness, strictly adhering to practices passed down through generations and agreed upon during meetings. This ensures that the Khao Thip made by the virgin girls is suitable for offering to the Triple Gem in the ordination hall. Subsequently, villagers have the opportunity to worship the Khao Thip and other ritual items and take them home according to their faith. Furthermore, the ritual of making Khao Thip at Wat Don Fai holds value in three aspects: social, traditional, and economic.