Full Moon of the Rainy Season

The cool misty air hung low in the Mae Chaem valley as people flocked to the temple grounds dressed in traditional textiles. Massive drums and cymbals created a rhythmic pattern that filled the lowlands with a slow movement. Full moon day in the heart of the rainy season is a special time at the temple.



The local villagers arrived and paid respects by creating their form of “Christmas trees” made of bamboo and native vegetation. The bases of the trees are made from natural items such as long grasses tied together with vine, or a stalk of a banana tree. Splitting bamboo in to thin strips and inserting them in the base creates the branches of the offering tree.

The thin bamboo branches are adorned with soap, toothpaste, pencils and paper, laundry detergent, incense and candles, money, and other basic essentials offered to the monks and temple. Umbrellas woven into the bases sheltered many of the offering trees adding a modern cap on the ancient tradition.

Many of these traditional festivals still survive, although Thailand is rapidly becoming more and more westernized. Less than 40 years ago this valley had no electricity and rarely saw a vehicle on the dirt streets. Local villagers bathed in the streams and traveled mostly by foot and ox and cart. Rarely was a western face experienced in the valley.

Today, a new 7-11 fueling station is being completed in the town of Mae Chaem where you can grab a Coke or Heineken, a new cell phone card, bag of chips, and purchase popular fashion magazines.

Hopefully it will be a few years before the strip malls over-run the local village market, but that may just be wishful thinking for those longing for a simpler time.