| Hmong New Year |
On New Year's Day we visited a former student, Saphan, in Khek Noi, Petchaboon, the largest Hmong community in Thailand.
Twenty years ago, there were few roads in this mountainous area. The remoteness of the region and its proximity to Laos were taken advantage of Communist insurgents and social activists fleeing a violently repressive regime in Bangkok. Some Hmong villages were consolidated and the population concentrated in Khek Noi by the Thai 3rd Army.
Today, there is a well paved road rising up from the ancient plains kingdom of Sukothai, giving the modern Hmong farmers access to far flung markets and leased agricultural lands.
The homes in Khek Noi are mostly built in the Thai style, large wooden structures raised above the ground. Many have modern pickup trucks and tractors parked below the living quarters.
Jeans and T-shirts, the global uniform of the 20th century, are daily wear here. As is common throughout the world, the older women are most apt to maintain the traditional dress.
But on New Year's Day the dusty roads vibrate with the colors of traditional Hmong costume. There is a background sound of incessant but pleasant jingling produced by the silver coins, bangles and chains decorating the clothes.
The tone here is not one of rowdy celebration, but of tranquil amusement. There is a game being played in two long lines. One person lobs a soft, stuffed cloth ball about three meters to a partner, who catches it and lobs it back. The game is played gently and in near silence. There is no sense of competition. From time to time a pair of young players calls it quits and strolls off to a food stand.
It seems a perfect opportunity for a low anxiety encounter with a member of the opposite sex.Most of the players are young, but one fabulously dressed crone takes a liking to Kitichai, who obliges her with a game of catch.