- Poi Sang Long
Deemed by the local authority and the Tourism Authority of Thailand as a unique festival, Poi Sang Long, is one of the most significant and important traditions practiced in Mae Hong Son. This particular festival celebrated during the month of March marks the Buddhist novice ordination ceremony which the Thai Yai people hold to be a highly meritorious occasion. Young boys aged 7-14 year old are ordained as novices to learn the Buddhist doctrines.
The origin of this festival lies in Buddhist legend. It is believed that this tradition is probably following in the footsteps of Prince Rahula. Prince Rahula is the son of the Buddha, who gave up his worldly life in order to follow his father's spiritual teachings. He then became the youngest ordained monk and the first novice in Buddhism. Subsequently it became a tradition that young boys should be ordain to learn Buddhist teachings as well.
The festival spans a period of three days. On the first day, the young novice will have his head cleanly shaved and wrapped with a head-cloth in a Burmese-style. After which, they will don on a prince-like garment with some valuable jewels and gems ride a horse or be carried over the shoulders of a male relative to the city shrine. By this time, the boys are known locally as 'Sang Long' or 'Look Kaew' (jewel sons). On the second day, the eve of the ordination, a colorful procession of offerings will be paraded through the town streets and then placed at the monastery where the ordination will take place the next day. On the third day, the procession once again proceeds through the town and the boys are taken to the temples for the formal ordination ceremony.
As most of the populations in Mae Hong Son are Buddhist and having such high reverence to the Buddhist religion, the people considered this festival to be one of the most important and it should be as majestic as possible.
- Chong Phara Procession
The Chong Phara Procession, locally referred to as "Poi Lern Sip Ed", is also another important traditional festival held by the Shan people annually during the month of October, at the end of the rainy season. The Chong Phara basically means castle in the Thai Yai dialect. This castle is made of wood or bamboo, beautifully adorned with colorful perforated papers, assortment of fruits, flags and lamps. According to the traditional belief, the castle is usually placed in the courtyard of a house or monastery as a gesture to welcome the Lord Buddha on his return from giving sermons to his mother in heaven. There are also various activities to celebrate this festive occasion and they include various dances where performers are dressed in fanciful animal costumes.
Loi Krathong Festival also known as the Festival of Light is an ancient ceremony of Shan. It is one of the oldest and best preserved traditions. This festive occasion is held on the full moon night in the month of November every year. "Loi" means "to float" and a "krathong" is traditionally made from a section of a banana tree trunk. Locals will make and decorate their “krathong” with banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense stick. They will then float their krathong on a river, canal or a pond lake, during the night of the full moon. The festival is believed to originate in an ancient practice of paying respect to the spirit of the waters. Apart from that, there are various entertainments and contests line up for the locals near the central pond such as Miss Nopamat and krathrong as well as some cultural shows. Moreover, at Wat Pra That Doi Kong Mu, there is a ceremony of releasing candle-lit krathong bound with balloons to the sky (known as “Loi Krathong Sawan”).
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