Manora ancestral beings, possession and cosmic rejuvenation in southern Thailand: Modern adaptations of the multi-religious manora ancestral vow ceremony

Abstract

The manora rongkru ceremony is a unique institution that has developed according to social needs of the people of the mixed community on the eastern banks of Lake Songkhla, where Buddhists and Muslims live together in closely-knit neighborhoods and kinship networks. People in southern Thailand feel that they are part of an imagined community, as they are all considered descendents of the first manora teachers. The article argues for the continuing relevance, relative autonomy and perceived authenticity of ancestor worship in Manooraa ritual practice and possession for the spiritual needs and aspirations of the Southern Thai people as major reason for the revitalization of the Manooraa in the context of modernity and Thai popular religion.