Key Takeaways

• The Phu Giay Festival is a cultural celebration in Vietnam believed to bring good tidings upon people. It takes place "on the first ten days of the 3rd lunar month" in Kim Thai village Vu Ban district in honor of goddess Lieu Hanh of Phu Giay Pagoda.
• Yi Peng is an ancient festival in Northern Thailand that is marked by launching lanterns in the night sky to symbolize wishing for good tidings in the new year and letting off misfortunes from the previous year.
• Bakar Batu is a famous sacred tradition in Indonesia that is performed during special events to express gratitude and also strengthen relationships.

Introduction

Anger / Pain

• Ngurek is an extreme religious practice in Indonesia that involves hurting the body. Worshippers, who are believed to be possessed, use a traditional knife called keris to stab their bodies. The tradition is aimed to serve god "Sang Hyang Widi Wasa."
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•  Peresean is a cultural practice that involves fighting among the Sasak tribe in Lombok in Indonesia. Opponents use a rattan stick as a weapon to attack each other only on the shoulders and back. During the event, instruments like seruling and kendag, a traditional drum are played. Such fights are most likely to trigger pain among the participants.
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Grief / Sadness

• Also known as Toraja Funeral Ceremony, Rambu Solo Ceremony is a funeral tradition practiced by a community called Toraja in Indonesia. The community performs certain funeral rituals to mark the start of a new life for the dead in the afterworld and prevent any misfortune to the deceased family. They also believe that through these rituals, the spirits of the dead will return to heaven, with their ancestors.
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•  Gin Salat is an extremely old tradition in Thailand that involves honoring the dead by building "salats" using items that the dead used when they were alive. Such an event most likely involves sadness as it involves mourning the dead.
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Hope / Renewal

• The Phu Giay Festival is a cultural celebration in Vietnam believed to bring good tidings upon people. It takes place "on the first ten days of the 3rd lunar month" in Kim Thai village Vu Ban district in honor of goddess Lieu Hanh of Phu Giay Pagoda.
• Pilgrims wear traditional regalia and "carry embellished bamboo relics to the temple of the goddess." Games like lion dancing, human chess, and wrestling are also played during the celebration.
• We believe that this event brings hope as it is believed to bring good fortunes upon people.
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• Also known as Thailand's Floating Lantern Festival, Yi Peng is an ancient festival in Northern Thailand. The event takes place in November (on the full moon night of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar). It is celebrated to mark the start of the cool season and the end of the monsoon season.
• The celebration is marked by launching lanterns in the night sky to symbolize wishing for good tidings in the new year and letting off misfortunes from the previous year.
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Joy / Delight

• The Mid-Autumn Festival is a cultural practice to celebrate the harvest in Vietnam. The event takes place on the "14th and 15th day of the lunar month." It is believed that during the celebration the atmosphere is ruled by the spirit of prosperity and happiness.
• The celebrations involve lion dances, carrying paper lanterns in towns, and food booths selling various foods like moon cake and sticky rice. Households also set up altars during the night to make offerings to the full moon.
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• Songkran is the Thai New Year's festival, which takes place from 13th April to 15th April. It is believed to be a time of new beginnings. Initially, people used to sprinkle water on each other as a sign of spiritual cleansing before they began to use buckets and hose pipes to splash water on each other.
• The three-day water festival is considered to be the most fun event that involves merry, dancing, and music. T
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Belonging / Love.

• The Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony is an event that is held on Valentine's Day in Thailand in Trang Area, Trang Town and Kradan Island. During the event, couple adorn traditional wedding attires, and plunge beneath the water to exchange marriage vows. The aim of the event to promote Thai wedding traditions in an extraordinary environment.
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• Bakar Batu is a famous sacred tradition in Wamena City and Papua Province in Indonesia. The events involve piling up of some stones and grilling food on top of them. The sacred ritual is performed during special events like birth ceremonies and wedding ceremonies. It is held to express gratitude and also strengthen relationships.
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