"Soukhuan" or "An offering to the spirits"

(Two Hmong volunteers cleaning up the station for the ceremony)

(Women preparing food for monks and guests)

(Alm giving)

(Serving meals to monks and guests)

(District chief, centre, is catching up with his old friends after the ceremony)

(Khoun District)- Once again, locals gathered at the station to hold a religious ceremony from 13 - 14 September, 2007, making an offering to the spirits.

Five monks were invited from three temples nearby the station to lead the ceremony. Locals, young and old, bringing food and flowers joined us to make an offering. They heard about the ceremony from radio program broadcasted a week ago. So they came.

"Soukhuan" or "an offering to the spirits" is held as Buddhists believe that every where has spirits that need to be fed and asked permission from. Our station is located on a ruined temple with a very big tree (where spirits are believed to reside). Thus, it is unavoidable and crucial to organize this kind of ceremony to ask for permission and protection.

We didn't know how full 'spirits' at our station would be, but we sure knew that locals who attended the ceremony, including District Chief, were full both physically and spiritually.