The importance of ritual

        The Dara-Ang have a ceremony of comfort called “Dai-Kra-Pro”. The ceremony is held at nighttime and the family comfort a member for the wellbeing of their spirit. The comforting of a member of the Dara-Ang tribe has many different formats and steps. Each ceremony depends on the age of a person who will be comforted, differentiating between the comfort of a child and adult. During the ceremony an old person comes to the community to pray. There are more elements for the comfort of an adult than for a child. The ceremony is performed by giving these offerings: 1) rice plate 2) paper (a flag) 3) milled rice 4) 30 Baht 5) A clay cup 6) thread 7) Fish. The people pray for comfort and tie a thread around the person's wrist to comfort the spirit.

        To comfort a child, the Dara-Ang offer the spirits a ceremonial feather with a sickle, rope, thread, fish and rice. The Dara-Ang believe that rope is needed to tie the child's possessions back to their mind or home. Rice and fish are given to call the child to eat. In the ceremony, the fish is turned on the plate three times. If the fish's head points in a certain direction, the Dara-Ang believe that the comfort of the child is restored. Then the person conducting the ceremony puts three grains of rice on the head of the child and eats the rice used in the ceremony. If the fish fails to stop at the point three times, the Dara-Ang believe that the child's comfort is still missing. They must then turn the fish until it indicates that the child's comfort has returned. When the ceremony is successful, an old person puts a tie around the child's wrist and blesses them.

        The Renewal Ceremony is called “Sueb-Ya-Ang” in Dara-Ang language. Renewal ceremonies are held both on the family level and a community level. The Dara-Ang believe that those who perform a renewal ceremony will have a long life. Usually the ceremony is performed for the older members of the community, and often for the very oldest member. Among the renewal ceremonies, the renewal of water, called “Sueb-Ya-Da-Uem” is the biggest ceremony. It is believed that all those who attend gain merit. The carrying out of the water renewal ceremony involves many different elements and a huge number of people. Usually this ceremony is performed for a governor or someone in a high position.
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