Bon Catin

So our host grandmother decided that this was the year that she was going to throw a “Bon Catin”. Apparently it’s maybe the most important festival that one or a family will throw in a generation in the Buddhist religion. It’s a large festival/party that a family throws in order to raise money to donate as well as give offerings to the pagoda and purchase gifts (new robes, dishes, soap, toothbrushes,/ everyday items) for all of the monks. I believe it’s also a festival in order to prepare for death.

It was quite the festival. All of the family came to the celebration, including grandma’s son that lives in France.

Preparations started several days before. One afternoon I saw the really long broom used for cleaning all the spider & cob webs down from the tall ceilings sitting next to our entrance. (I guess that was our host mother’s hint that we needed to clean). (So we did that). Then tents were set up. Lots of food to be cooked was brought in. And the decorating began.

Everything seemed to go off without a hitch. The loud, loud music started at 5am. When we did finally peek around the corner, we were glad to see only 4 large ‘Peavey’ speakers stacked in the front driveway. (That’s a rather small amount).

Eventually, we got dressed up and joined in the festivities. The first day the monks come and do blessings and prayers. People come dressed in white shirts and women in their traditional samputs (or skirts). Everyone donates a certain amount of money, and I guess standard (or what we were told) was $2.50 a person. Or some people (perhaps those without as much money) can pay in rice. They just bring a bunch of rice and dump it into a container for the collection. After you pay and sign the guest book, they give you a favor (usually some sort of wrapped treat like wafers or cookies or something of the like).

After the morning blessings we all ate lunch… and then later again dinner.

The second day consisted of more prayers again in the morning, lunch around noon and then after lunch was the parade around town which ended at the pagoda.

It was quite interesting. Yaey’s family for the most part has done pretty well for themselves. A lot of these parades I see people walking, but ours was a train of cars. There was one truck with a bunch of what I would say would be the equivalent of nuns were in the back, along with the live music and dancers (and loudspeakers which were taken from our driveway and put in back) and fired up with a loud generator.

Then the cars followed with flags & lots of decorations (Will held the flag out of our car window) and we paraded around the town, past the market, past the main road and finally back to the pagoda that our family regularly goes to. Then all of us got out with the several gifts and offerings to be donated and we paraded around the pagoda three times and after that went in for the final blessings and donations.

After observing the much chanting and prayer, the event was over with and we headed back to our house to unwind and relax, as anyone does after any big event.

It was quite interesting to watch and be a part of it. Grandma thought it was a success and she said she was VERY happy with how it all turned out.

We were very happy when the music that had been going for a day and a half straight finally ceased.
And everything returned back to normal.