This ceremony “Ram Phii Faa,” is centered on appeasing and calling down the spirit of the sky along with the spirits of the deceased ancestors of the villagers. They believe these spirits (of the sky and of dead ancestors) can heal those her sick. They offered food sacrifices to these ancestors like bananas or snacks. Further, they believe that these ancestors will enter certain individuals present, and will cause them to act differently than they may normally act. One lady danced around with swords because the deceased ancestor evidently was part of the military. At another time, she wore less conservative clothing because she was supposedly filled with the spirit of a deceased teenage child of hers. A lady living across the street from us claims that she never chews beetle-nut (kind of like dipping in the south of America) or drinks alcohol, but because an ancestral spirit entered her body, she did just that. In addition, they believe that the ancestors can speak through the chosen individual and can communicate with the relatives of that person. This ceremony involves loud gongs, drums, and an Isaan wind-instrument called the “can.” Whereas some who attend this ceremony just to laugh and play, it seems that the overwhelming majority have these beliefs deep inside. (I'm working on getting one more longer video posted that may help you get a fuller picture of what is going on)
As they are dancing around in a circle here, a few of these people believe they are filled with an ancestral spirit.
This gong and the drums were responsible for keeping me up all night
I believe this Isaan instrument is called the "Can," and is played for fun and/or used in a variety of situations
In the center are flowers, decorations, food, etc. all offered with the purpose of appeasing the spirit of the sky and/or ancestral spirits
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