Khao Lam: Symbolic Meaning and Dynamics in the Tourism Context in Contemporary Thai Society

Abstract

This article explored the culture of making Khao Lam and the tradition of Khao Lam merit-making in the Lao community in the context of contemporary Thai society, dividing the study into two main issues: the examination of the symbolic meaning of Khao Lam as food in rituals and the analysis of the dynamics of Khao Lam merit-making events and Khao Lam’s existence in contemporary Thai society. The research concepts employed anthropological and ethnological approaches, considering documents from studies on Khao Lam and new rice merit-making traditions, as well as information on Khao Lam merit-making festivals for tourism in online media. The study found that in traditional societies, Khao Lam merit-making is a post-harvest festival, popularly held during the cold season of March when bamboo was fibrous, involving the division of new rice to roast into Khao Lam as an offering to monks, based on the belief in the merit of offering new rice. Furthermore, Khao Lam merit-making is related to the aspiration for agricultural fertility, stemming from the belief in offering new produce to spirits to thank for their provision of fertility in farming. Currently, governmental agencies have played a role in inheriting the community’s Khao Lam merit-making tradition, transforming it into an entertainment activity, thus shifting the festival from a religious ceremony that focus on offering Khao Lam to monks to a performance that caters to tourism within the creative economy context.