Cultural fair to mark Heroines’ victory

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Cultural fair to mark Heroines’ victory

thalang: the tao thepkrasattri & tao sri soonthorn cultural fair, held every year to commemorate the role phuket’s heroines played in the victory over a burmese incursion in 1785, will be held this year from march 4 to 13.

pattama rujeewong, of the phuket provincial cultural office (ppco), said that the celebrations this year would be bigger than in the past, to honor hm king bhumibol’s 60 years on the throne of thailand.

festival activities will take place between 8 am and 10 pm each day, at thalang chanasuk memorial field, in baan kian, where the battle took place. the battlefield covers 96 rai, one kilometer west of the main intersection in thalang town, on the road to cherng talay

the cultural fair will start with a head-shaving ceremony at 1 pm on march 4 for men entering monkhood, followed by an ordainment ceremony at 8 am on march 5.

on march 11, 12 and 13, starting at 7 pm, actors will reenact the battle.

on march 13, remembered as the day of the battle, a wreath-laying ceremony will be held at the heroines’ monument at 8 am.

k. pattama said that the ppco will improve the following six sites with landscaping and by installing plaques explaining each locale’s historical significance:

- thalang chanasuk memorial field;

- the birthplace of the two heroines at baan kian,

- baan kian mosque, where the heroines’ mother is believed to have prayed;

- mae ma sia cemetery, in baan kian, where the heroines’ mother is believed to be buried;

- wat muang komaraphat, near wat phra nang sang, where thai warriors massed before the battle; and

- nop nang dug, where tha is dammed a klong to block the burmese troops’ water supply.

the plaques will be in thai and english, and are expected to be installed before the fair begins.

sport competitions, including takraw, muay thai, muay thai talay (boxing while sitting on a horizontal pole over a pool of water or mud) and greasy pole climbing, will be held as part of the festival.

the main sporting event, on march 12, will be a mountain bike race, with off-road sections, taking in historical sites en-route.

riders in category a of the race will cover the full 35-kilometer course, with riders starting at 1:30 pm, while riders in category b will race over a 25km course, starting at 11:30 am.

category c, for children under 13 years of age, will cover 10km, starting at 10 am.

the winners of the men’s and the w omen’s sections of categories a and b will receive trophies donated by hrh crown prince maha vajiralongkorn.

all three courses will start and finish at thalang chanasuk memorial field.

the entry fee for categories a and b is 300 baht per person, while entry in category c is free.

for more information contact the thepkrasattri municipality at tel: 076-311381, or for the bike races see here.

Brought to you by:
The Phuket Gazette
11:34 local time (GMT +7)