Cultural Tourism at Ban Lao Wiang in Uttaradit Province

Cultural Tourism at Ban Lao Wiang in Uttaradit Province

     Nowadays, cultural tourism has become very popular. Many communities are open for tourists who want to experience their ways of life, traditions, arts, and local foods that are particular to each region.

     The community of Lao Wiang in Uttaradit is a small village with a unique and outstanding lifestyle, tradition, culture, and language, as well as beautiful geography. It has been told from generation to generation that the ancestors of the Lao Wiang Chan community in Haad Song Kwae village were migrants from Wiang Chan, in Laos, in the time of King Rama III. 

     They settled down on the bank of the Nan River at Kong Go Village in Kor Room Subdistrict, Pichai District, in Uttaradit. The expansion of the community moved toward the north of the river to Ban Keang and was called the community of Lao Wiang, Ban Haad Song Kwae. 

     When you visit this location, it is a must to visit the cultural street of Lao Wiang, a small road with spells to charm you. Make a stop and shop for local goods and food. Moreover, there is a local performance which is part of the identity of the Lao Wiang people, as well.

     This cultural street happening takes place on the first Friday and Saturday of every month. The tradition that the Lao Wiang people have inherited and preserved from their ancestors is the tradition of carrying food for making merit on a rattan carrying rack. The locals would wake up early in the morning to prepare the rice, and when monks walk past their houses, they would offer only cooked rice – either sticky rice or jasmine rice, according to the Lao Buddhist way – into the monks' alms bowls, whereas the food or snacks would be carried with a rack by a male offeror, who would then follow the monks back to the temple. After the monks finished eating, they would carry the rack back. 

     Other important traditions include the tradition of floating a lit raft to honor the monarch and the gratitude ceremonies honoring the grains and rivers, which are held annually to express loyalty to the monarchy and gratitude toward the grains and rivers, which bring fertility and peace to people in Tron District and Uttaradit itself. These traditional events take place between the third and fifth of December each year along the Nan River in Tron District, while on the 22nd of October every year, there is an event to commemorate the history of King Rama V visiting Tron Tree Sin city. 

     People who attend the event dress in traditional costumes; the atmosphere is extremely picturesque. If you want to experience the ways and happiness of the Lao Wiang people, there are homestays that can accommodate tourists who will surely come to relax and enjoy the activities. This is definitely an example of authentic cultural tourism.