Bun Khao Sak and Bun Khao Pra Dub Din: Relationship Building Among Relatives of Esan People

Abstract

The objective of this article is aimed at studying the system of relationship building among relatives of Esan people by ways of Bun Khao Sak and Bun Khao Pra Dub Din (merit making tradition around the around the ninth month of Thai Lunar Calendar, July to August, for ancestors by creating food plates by banana leaves to put under the big tree). This research is a qualitative type of research. Research tools consist of interviews with local scholars, the ritual observation, and participation in a real place in the tradition of Bun Khao Pra Dab Din and Bun Khao Sak.
The results of the study are found that:
1. Relationship building of Isan people through the tradition of Bun Khao Pra Dab Din and Bun Khao Sak is divided into 3 forms: 1) building relationships through beliefs, 2) building relationships through rituals, and 3) building relationships through roles.
2. Characteristics of kinship relations of Isan people through the tradition of Bun Khao Pradabdin and Bun Khao Sak are divided into 2 types: 1) the relationship building in the relatives between the living people, and 2) the relationship building in the kinship between the dead people.