Home arrow Travel Gateway arrow Walking tour shines light on Mon traditions, customs Travel Gateway
ImageTravel GatewayImage Image Looking for ways to explore Thailand’s numerous attractions, accommodations, or opportunities for an exhilarating adventure? Find diverse travel ideas and resources before venturing out.
PDF  | Print |
Walking tour shines light on Mon traditions, customs

Staff Writer

bangkradi_03.jpgSince Bangkok’s Mon communities are renowned for maintaining their unique traditions and customs, weekend visits to these areas are proving to be very popular among city residents.


While a cultural walking tour of Koh Kred in Bangkok’s neighboring Nonthaburi province offers lots of fun activities, such as sampling the shopping and culinary delights, a visit to Bang Kradi’s Mon community in Bangkok’s Bang Khun Thian district offers a somewhat humbler, more insightful look into the lifestyle and culture of this proud people.


Mon people began settling in Bang Kradi about 150 years ago, and there are now over 1,500 households living alongside Klong (canal) Bang Kradi. While the community is right in the middle of the Khet Bang Khun Thian industrial zone, it continues to flourish.


Culture and the community

A committee run by the community recently established a walking tour, which winds through the village’s delightful network of alleys. Here you’ll experience in person many Mon traditions and practices while visiting residents’ homes during the tour. You’ll even encounter “exhibits”, personally selected by each of the participants.


The aim of the initiative is preserving Mon heritage for future generations, as well as raising awareness among visitors. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is acting as a mentor to the project, which also has the support of cultural researchers from Thammasat University.


The walking tour begins at the temple of Wat Bang Kradi. At the front of the temple is a “swan pole”, an important symbol in Mon culture. The temple remains the center of the community, where older and younger generations still congregate to worship.


Along the route, several homes display signs inviting visitors to enter each “living museum”. Each homeowner dedicates the area located underneath their residence as an exhibition space, where visitors can learn more about Mon culture from each of the displays. Exhibits usually relate to the resident’s particular area of expertise.

bangkradi_02.jpgbangkradi_06.jpg

Among the items on display, you’ll find examples of traditional Mon costume, handicrafts, flags, photos, and reed mats, along with other interesting household items. Hosts are happy to guide visitors around their homes while relating stories from the past that refer to some of the exhibits on display.


Displays can convey many of the beliefs that help bond cultural ties within the community. For example, reed mats relate to modesty. Traditionally, every Mon is given a mat as an infant. The mats are put to several uses while the owner is alive, but when the owner passes away, they are used to wrap the corpse before burial.

Some homeowners choose to organize a live performance for their guests. It is quite rare to come across Mon singers and musicians, so visitors can consider themselves extremely lucky if treated to such a display.


One home focuses on traditional costumes by presenting a kind of Mon fashion show. In this case, men, women, and children from within the community are the ones on the catwalk.

By calling ahead in advance, hosts are able to inform members of the network of the particular needs of a visiting tour group and can then try to assist them wherever possible.

 

  bangkradi_01.jpg


bangkradi_05.jpg
The whole tour takes up to two hours, depending how quickly you walk, or how much time you have to devote to listening to the numerous stories and anecdotes provided by your friendly hosts along the way.


It’s also possible for visitors to see members of the community celebrating Songkran (Thailand’s annual water festival), Pansa (Buddhist Lent), or other religious-oriented ceremonies and celebrations held at the temple. If this option appeals to you, please telephone first to establish precisely when each activity is set to take place.


While the walking tour is available without making a booking, please call in advance should you wish to experience a demonstration. It’s possible that a fee will be charged to cover the organization of such activities.

For further information, call Tel: +66 (0)86 603 3038, or +66 (0)89 050 4314.


Transport connections:

Bus: Wat Bang Kradi is located on Rama II Road. You can reach it by taking air-conditioned bus 105, or regular buses 76, 140, and 141. These buses all run along Rama II Road. Get off the bus at Soi Bang Kradi and take a songthaew (pick-up truck with bench seats) or motorcycle taxi to the temple from there.