Lanna Crafts XVI

Lanna Cultures & Traditions (cont.):

After wedding ceremony, Lanna son-in-law has a duty to build houses for his family. Today we will present a Tradition about Lanna Home Reconstruction.

Picture of Lanna Houses

- Tradition about Lanna Home Reconstruction, when the groom comes to live at the bride’s house, he needs to stay there at least three years to help her parents’ jobs; farming, gardening, etc. before enable to build a new separated own house. There are in-depth concepts on this as the wife will have opportunity to practice to be a good housewife, while the husband will be trained by the father-in-law to be a nice leader of the family, and the couple will be able to save money for building their own house.

It’s prohibited for the couple to build a very neat house on the first one when they need a separated house from parents, Lanna people believe that it’s inauspicious and will bring unfortunate events to the family. So their first house will be constructed to be able to stand only for 1-3 years before build a new one. The second constructed house will consist of tied beams, and the third constructed house will be the neatest one with the inserted beams and tied beams for long residence.

The head of the family needs to find auspicious time and date to start building the house. He will discuss with the old ones who know Lanna cultures and traditions, or might discuss with a fortune-teller who will give suggestion on the best date and time from his book. The suggested months from the book usually are in even number of Lanna months, sixth and eighth, but the tenth month will be prohibited for any auspicious ceremony.

The host of the new house will inform his neighbors to come for helps on house construction. The wife will prepare foods for all neighbors who will come, and the husband will contact to all engineers or the working team. He needs to prepare some rituals before building a house: Asking for the land from King of Nagas before digging the main-pole hole, Notification to the Four Celestial Guardians (see Lanna Crafts XI).

Today recommended Crafts/Handmade Products:

1) ‘Thai Fashion Purse- Handmade in Chiang Mai’, from Thai Fashion Handbag-Thailand:

Thai Fashion Purse-
Handmade in
Chiang Mai

• This beautiful and unique handbag is handmade at the Bann Talae handicraft center near Chiang Mai Thailand.
• Strong, durable craftsmanship.
• All hand stitching and native materials, from the wooden beads on the strap, to the gold silk string, to the wooden button that closes the top, to the mosaic artwork material that is used in the design.
• Single strap design is the perfect length for carrying as a shoulder strap or clutch.
• Ornate mosaic material is native Thai and only available to tourists who go to this area of Northern Thailand.
• Dimensions: 28.00" h x 8.00" w x 15.00" l, 1.21 pounds

2) ‘Thai Puggi Oriental Lamp’, from Oriental Furniture:

Thai Puggi Oriental Lamp

• Measures 18" H x 10" D x 10" W - Attractive Table Lamp or Night Light
• Hand Crafted Wood Lantern in Unique Thai Spirit House Design
• Fiber Reinforced Pressed Pulp Rice Paper Shade - Cast a Soft Glow in Any Room
• UL Approved Wiring, Socket & Switch for 60 Watt Bulb - Up to 150W Compact Flourescent

(To be continued)