Event· Koh Surin Tai· Thailand
Loi Reua Moken Ancestor Festival (Surin)
9° 24.3′ N · 97° 51.7′ E
Every April the Moken of Ban Moken (Ao Bon Yai) on Surin Tai hold Loi Reua, their main ancestor-worship ceremony. The carved, painted bamboo spirit poles around the village represent Moken ancestors.
Practical
Coordinate is the OSM-mapped Moken village at Ao Bon. Lonely Planet (English and French pages) says the ceremony takes place each April in the bay where the Moken resettled after the 2004 tsunami. No published source gives fixed dates; they follow the community's own calendar, so ask the Surin park HQ at Ao Chong Khad once you arrive. April falls inside the park season (15 October to 15 May), and the Moken village anchorage off Ao Bon is used by day boats. This is a religious ceremony, not a show. Watch from the edge, ask before photographing anyone, and follow the rangers' and elders' lead on where visitors may stand. It is a different event from the Urak Lawoi boat-floating festival of the same name on Koh Lipe, which falls on the full moons of June and November.
Best for
Seeing a living sea-nomad ceremony
Season
April (dates set by the community each year)
Nearby
- Moken Village (Ao Bon)Right here
- Koh Surin Nua Park HQ Anchorage (Chong Khad Bay)0.8 NM away
- Ao Suthep Snorkel Trail (Surin Tai)1 NM away
- Surin Islands Wildlife (turtles, macaques, gecko)1.1 NM away
- Surin National Park Fee and Burmese Border Permission1.1 NM away
- Ao Chong Khad Beach and Park HQ (Surin)1.2 NM away
- Ao Mae Yai, Koh Surin Nua1.2 NM away
- Ao Tao (Turtle Bay)1.4 NM away