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This ceremony is a religious service that is performed in sacred memory of the dead. It is really one of the important duties that needs to be done during the Songkran Festival. When a person died and was cremated, the ashes and charred bones were buried at the root of a sacred fig-tree in a temple. Such trees are to be found in the grounds of almost every temple. It is a symbol of the Lord Buddha's enlightenment for under such a tree did Buddha sit in meditation and receive his enlightenment. If a person is able to erect a Pra Chedi or pagoda in the temple, the ashes and bones are then deposited in it. In later times a portion of the bones was sometimes kept in the house in a receptacle.

The white string or what we called "sai sin" in Thai.	You will that area for the ceremony is made sacred with this sai sin	Around the outside wall are the places where the ashes of our dead ancestors are kept

On Songkran Day a religious service in sacred memory to the dead may be officiated by a monk or monks at the place where the ashes and the bones have been deposited, or as in some localities the people bring their dead bones to a village temple in company with others where a joint memorial service is performed. In some parts of the country the guardian spirits of the village and town receive also their annual offerings on Songkran Days. Obviously there are reminiscences or traces of ancestor and animistic worship in by-gone days.

My grandmum is replacing the old garlands there with some new and fresh ones for our relations. Inside the wall there is where we have the ashes of our relations. Anyway, they aren't all my relations!!! There are also someone else's too.	After changing the garlands, we then pay our respect to our dead ancestors in front of their picture on the wall.

A couple of my relations are getting the monk's offerings ready while everyone is coming here.	After that we then pay our respect to the Buddha images inside the bot while the monks are walking here.

Information from: "Essays on Cultural Thailand" by Office of the National Culture Commission.
All Photographs copyright: Nattawud Daoruang.