Abstract

Thai society is deeply affected by ancient spiritual beliefs. Although the current national religion is Buddhism, ancient Thailand was home to a number of sacred faith-systems, coupled with a strong belief in animism. This history has clearly led to a number of cultural traditions that are practiced in modern society. This research analyzes one such tradition, the bai-sri-su-kwan ritual of calling the spirit to the body. The study assesses the background history, current conditions of and problems with the ceremony and, from the results develops a conservation and promotion model for local wisdom concerning the custom. Implementation of the model developed during this investigation will significantly reduce the devastating effect that modern society is currently having on the inherited traditions and beliefs of Thai communities.

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