This research found that “the King Spirit” was a spirit to which the Mon paid respect and it was comparable to a deity. Villagers in each village had their own spirit kings or spirit queens as their spiritual refuge. Therefore, when it’s time to dedicate merit to their ancestors’ spirits and deities, a spirit dance ritual was organized every year. The ritual was usually held after Song Kran Festival before the fifteenth day of the waning moon in the fifth lunar month. Sacrificial items were offered, including food, bamboo sticky rice, glutinous rice, flowers, and garlands. Dress for the ritual varied according to the types of spirits they danced for. “Mediums” from each village were invited to participate. The ritual started by the dance for the Spirit of the City Pillar, which was considered the highest deity of the Mon in Phra Pradaeng District. The dance ritual was composed of (1) dancers who were mostly elderly females with good human relationship and respect in the villages; (2) participants who were the elderly in the communities and family members and relatives. It was a kind of family reunion through the ritual; (3) the venue where community members considered sacred, such as the village shrine; and (4) musicians who were males and descendants of previous village musicians. The musical instruments consisted of Mon circle gongs, xylophones, Taphone, one Peng Mang, and cymbals. Nowadays, a five-set Mon ensemble or a pair-set Mon ensemble, or a five-set Thai ensemble is used instead. The melody was soft and slow, indicating the gracefulness of the deities in the ritual. The music patterns were repetitive rhythms without much variation and the music was the one used in funerals. Rhythmic patterns had to be in line with the dance postures by watching the signals from the changes of sacrificial items during the dance.
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