Fon Phimod Phimeng

Fon Phi Mod Phi Meng

                  Doing a spirit dance (fon phi) is a folk tradition observed in northern Thailand. The dance is meant as a sacrifice to the ancestral spirits of the people, or to redeem a vow made to the spirits (kae bon). This old tradition, however, is not commonly or widely practiced as much these days. It is found only in the rural areas.

                   This Lanna ritual of paying homage to the phi or guardian spirits is believed to be an ancient Mon faith. In the northern dialect, the Mon people are called the Meng. Also a spirit medium who invites a spirit to enter his/her body is to be dressed in an ancient Mon attire. This spirit dance (or trance dance) ritual is for the purpose of honoring the deceased members of the same clan or familial lineage on their anniversary dates, or it can be the 2nd-3rd anniversary years. The ritual is sometimes performed if a certain kin happens to have some serious ailment. The common practice is to beg the spirits to help, with a promise to return the favor once the bad luck goes away and the person recovers, by doing a fon/dance. May-June is generally the time they do the fon phi.

                   The custodian host of the ancestral spirits is responsible for providing meals for the guests, who are mainly relatives and neighbors. On the first ceremonial day, the preparation of sacrifices and the construction of a special trance dance pavilion (pa-ram) in the house yard take place. The offerings consisting of pig heads, boiled whole chickens, liquors, popped rice, flowers, candles and incense sticks, sweetmeats, banana, sugar cane are put in the middle on a scaffolded platform about 1 meter off the ground. In the pa-ram they also put a rack for hanging sarongs, turbans, shoulder cloths (to be put on top of normal clothes). In the middle is hung a long ritual cloth. The oldest woman in the family will lead the other members in the ritual to pay respects to the benevolent spirits of the family and to ask for the blessings of happiness and prosperity. After this, they light candles and incense sticks.

                   The ritual of honoring the spirits is conducted at the sprit shrine (ho phi), inside the house.  The ho phi is usually in the headboard area. The spirit (chao po) is worshipped, then invited to go over to the pa-ram. The person to be possessed by the spirits, the medium, is also present there. They then take the sacrifice flower trays to the ritual venue. The ritual starts. The spirit is asked to enter the medium’s body, take the drinks and sacrifices, and chat with the descendants and relatives until the time to leave the body. A spirit dance honoring the spirit follows, led by the senior women in the family.

                   The dancers change their clothes into those appropriate ceremonial attires taken from the racks. They will tap lightly on the long sacred cloth hanging down in the center from the pavilion roof, before slumping with the faces on the cloth. Their bodies spin around before they begin to dance, in a trance, slowly and rhythmically to the melodious sound of a traditional northern  ensemble of the drums, xylophones, gongs, flutes and cymbals. The dancers must be members of the same clan. After the dances are finished, all the ritual clothes are to be taken back to where they were taken from. The men generally do the sword dance instead.

                   The Phi Mod (spirits of the common people) dance and the Phi Mueang (spirits of the warriors) dance are very similar. Both are gestures of gratitude to the ancestors, also for fostering unity among the local villagers who worship the same spirit, and who must strictly follow the same traditional convention (such as by not marrying someone of the same ancestral lineage i.e. worshipping the same spirits).

สงวน โชติสุขรัตน์.(2512).ประเพณีไทยภาคเหนือ. พระนคร : โอเดียนสโตร์. (in Thai)

สุนีย์ ประสงค์บัณฑิต.(2546). ประเพณีสิบสองเดือน : พิธีกรรมที่เปลี่ยนไป.  กรุงเทพฯ : ศูนย์มานุษยวิทยาสิรินธร. (in Thai)