Hua Hin sea ceremony honours ancestors
Residents and visitors gathered at Hua Hin’s Chao Mae Thapthim Shrine on Saturday (26 September) for the traditional Ship to Sea ceremony.
The Hua Hin Fishing Community Committee organised the Sea Misfortune-Casting Ceremony alongside merit-making for the shrine, beside the Hilton Hua Hin hotel.
Held regularly for almost 20 years, the event reflects the traditions of the fishing community from which Hua Hin developed. The merit-making included remembrance of people whose ashes had been scattered at sea off Hua Hin but whose relatives had not returned to pay their respects.
The morning began with participants paying respects to the guardian spirits of the sea, followed by merit-making and the offering of a meal to nine Buddhist monks.
Rituals of the Hua Hin sea ceremony
A small fishing boat was decorated and fitted with a ceremonial pavilion containing around 4,000 brightly coloured plaster figurines. These depicted men, women and traditional child figures known as Nong Chuk and Nong Klae.
Participants made donations and attached pieces of paper bearing their own names, or those of relatives and friends, to the figurines. They then prayed for misfortune and harmful influences to be carried away.
Tens of thousands of firecrackers were set off before participants pulled the boat into the sea. It was then taken to Hin Khrong, an area known for its plentiful fish.
The pavilion containing the figurines was lowered to the seabed, intended to serve as a reef and feeding ground for marine life.
Those attending included Amnuay Sutkrasae, spokesperson for the special parliamentary committee considering the draft Anti-Money Laundering Bill; Kittipong Siriphetkasem of the Hua Hin–Cha-am Tourism Business Association; and Wasana Srikanchana, an adviser to the association. Government and business representatives also joined the event.