From Local Legend To a New Tradition: The Creation of King Taksin the Great Honoring Tradition at Wat Suwannaram Rajavaravihara, Bangkok Noi Canal Community, Bangkok

Abstract

King Taksin the Great Honoring Tradition at Wat Suwannaram Rajavaravihara, also known as Wat Thong, is a new tradition in the Bangkok Noi canal community, an old community in the Thonburi area. This tradition will be on the 28th of December each year and it was first held in 2014. This research deployed the creative folklore theory to study the creation process of the tradition. The results suggested that the creation process of the tradition is composed of four characteristics: 1) creating perception of King Taksin’s legends and folk narratives as a legend of Wat Suwannaram and Baan Bu area; 2) emphasizing worship and merit-making ceremonies to the Great King; 3) organizing various activities to conserve and restore Thai traditions related to the Bangkok Noi canal community; and  4) using symbols to convey various meanings and images of King Taksin the Great: the heroic King who reunited and built the nation, a sacred person in the Thonburi area, the Great King who descended from Chinese ancestors, and who revived arts and culture. These findings revealed the creation of a new tradition of the old community in a modern social context.