KRAYASART BEGGING AND TRADITIONAL FOLKWAYS IN KLONG BAN SAI COMMUNITY, BANGRAMARD, TAWEEWATTANA, BANGKOK

Abstract

The Klong Ban Sai community in Bangramard, Taweewattana District, Bangkok, used to depend on ‘water’ as the main mode of transport. Most residences grew rice for a living. They have a strong faith in Buddhism. One of the most important traditions is the Sart Festival in the tenth lunar month. They usually made ‘Krayasart’ (Sweet for Sart Rite) from the rice they grew and offered it to the monks at the temple for merit-making. One day before the Sart Day, there was a play, called Krayasart Begging. The locals gathered together to play beggars, rowing their boats along the klong, passing the houses’ piers and singing beggar’s songs to ask for mercy. Some songs told the stories from literature. They did these things to ask for Krayasart which they used for merit-making the next day. The play had been performed for more than 80 years before its end around 1982 due to the replacement of the residential area of Klong Ban Sai by the modern real estate projects. Locals barely made Krayasart. Also, there were many roads built so the water transportation becameless important. The study of Krayasart Begging in the area of Klong Ban Sai is interesting, because it allows us to understand the folkways, the Krayasart Begging, Beggar’s songs, and the cultural changes in the Klong Ban Sai area. Nowadays, the locals are aware of the importance of the play and are trying to preserve it by continuing the play. This activity will revive the local wisdom and culture which is unique to the area.