Keywords: spiritualrituals regarding theroleofamallinitscommunityandspaceusagesthosewentbeyondcommercialpurposes. cultural beliefs, spiritual include practices of commercial spacesandmarketingstrategies. also leadsto a wideraspect This phenomenon which happenings, such behind influences the explores research this the to closer religion community andto usereligion-related activities asamagnet that drawsattention to the mallitself. the Accordingly, bring to effort the reflects This malls. as such spaces commercial to relocated * Nicha Wiboonpote A Study ofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls A Place toP(r)ay: 2000). This subjectsthe changesthatoccurin there than other types of public spaces (Boundy, altogether, influence customers to spend more time several malls. activitiesinmalls, All of these diverse some government branch offices are also located in Today, 1997). (Zepp, etc. salon, beauty dentist, laundry,as professional service, auto childcare, Moreover, mostmallsalsoprovideservicessuch specificpurchase in mind (Martinand Mason, 1987). spend timealoneorwithotherswithouthavinga as a recreational social occasion where one can Beside these,somecustomersalsoviewshopping shows. and fashion such asconcerts,exhibitions, It is known to provide spacefor special occasions spaces butalsoitsatmosphereforsocialinteractions. A mall is commonly known not only for its retail INTRODUCTION ABSTRACT ** Corresponding Author: Faculty of Architecture, ChulalongkornUniversity [email protected] Faculty ofArchitecture,ChulalongkornUniversity,Thailand T Today,settings arenotonlylocatedintemplesorchurches,buttheyalsooccasionally religious his research examines the phenomenon of Thai Buddhistelements for spiritualritualsinBangkokmalls. * /PatSeeumpornroj [email protected] **

shopping malls. easy accesstoLordBuddha’s teachingswithin youths, especially awayfrom temples butto provide was nottodrawpeople, that theidea emphasised Corner to Learn Lord Buddha’s Teachings). Uraiwan PobPhra Dhamma(Athe MoomSangob Peaceful malls shouldprovideyetanotherkindofspace, culture, Uraiwan Thienthong, hadsuggestedthat In November of 2005, Thailand’s former ministerof different placesinsidetheboundariesofmalls. canexperience people where certain communities opportunity.” if can getcloserto we providethe religion to temples, only shopping malls… They “People nowadays have notime to go , Thailand A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls

Nakhara 69 Nakhara 70 people toparticipateinreligion-relatedactivities. teachings, but in forms of religious settings that invite as peacefulcornerstolearnLordBuddha’s traditional holidays. However, they arenot presented seen duringimportantBuddhistholidaysand Thai spaces for spiritual rituals in malls can be commonly settings found in many Bangkok malls. These still beobservedthroughdifferent kindsof religious mentioned bythe government, the concept can Pob PhraDhamma Moom Sangob A decade later, even though the proposal of the about 300,000 baht per month (Bangkok Post, 2005). quotedafeeof area, whileCentralPlazaPinklao Centre offered occasionaluseof its multi-purpose to provide spaces as suggested. Siam Discovery agreed PlazaPinklao) Central and Centre Discovery above, two shopping malls in Bangkok (Siam tothestatement in respond In Decemberof2005, The NineCenterRamaNine,Bangkok duringMāghaPūjāholiday, by Author, February 23,2016. Square, at Nine countries in nine temples of saintsfromnine relics and of LordBuddha relic ofthesacred The display Figure 1: Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj with booksofLordBuddha’s teaching.” reading and listening room, and a library which toprayandpracticemeditation,a (2,150-square-foot) spacewitharoomin mall… Thiswilljust be a200-square-meter “It’s not about buildingatemple inashopping (The Nation,2005) wasnolonger MARKETING STRATEGIES OF occasionally relocatetotheplazaareasofmalls. practices of commercial spaces where flea markets contexts. concerns aspect third The culturalThai their transformationsandthe link between the two the malls and Buddhisttemples. This isto look for of the built environments of religious settings in observations the by defined is aspect second The as amagnettodrawattentionfromthecustomers. activities areused religion-related strategies where marketing involves aspect first The aspects. major with commercialcontexts. This includesthree in and theiradaptations communities Thai Buddhist beliefs and traditional cultural of theritualsinvolves This researchfocusesonspiritualrituals. The scope called “Hang Huntraa” by the locals (Moore, 1914). (Moore, locals the by Huntraa” “Hang called in called the British Factory Thailand or as it was store department first the established merchant, British the Hunter, Robert III), Rama (King Klao Nang King of reign the during 1825, In Thailand. The concept of shopping malls is not newto MALLS ANNUAL ACTIVITIES INBANGKOK of Urban America, SecondEdition: The ShoppingMallasCeremonialCenter, byIraG. Zepp, 1997. Table 1. access andparkingspacesareprovidedforthe and developmentsofitscity. Forexample,easy socialize. It is continuouslyrespondingto changes A mallpresentsitscommunitywithanewwayto spaces. socialgathering their communitieswithalternative machines andmore. These, inaway, provided alleys,karaoke retail shops, skating parks,bowling of experiences like movie theaters, restaurants, a variety that generated malls by shopping replaced and appliedto Thai context. Departmentstoreswere New modelsfromforeigncountrieswereadopted concepts forretailbusinesses did notstopthere. in oneplace(Athiwat,2002). The developmentof customers to purchase a wide range of merchandise of “OneStopShopping”. The conceptwasforthe was opened. It carried out another new concept opened in 1968. In 1973, the Central Chidlom branch so successful that another branch in Silom was products with nobargaining. The business was for prices fixed of feature new the with opened was Burapa Wang Central the 1956, In investors. and European by Chinese opened were stillbeing from Thai people,numerousdepartmentstores muchattention century hadnotgained nineteenth Despite thefactthat severaldepartment storesinthe September June May February November September July February January October The liturgical year or annual directory of events in the average mall, from The New Religious Image Personal andFamilyCelebrations National Observances Independence Day Presidents’ birthdays Martin LutherKing’s birthday Halloween (GreatPumpkin) Grandparents’ Day Day Father’s Day Mother’s Valentine’s Day Thanksgiving Labor Day October August June March January December April of Urban America Urban of According toIraG.Zeppin within a mall area, themore likely that they will spend. possible. The theoryisthe moretimecustomersstay as to makecustomersstayinamallaslong aimed are acommunity to benefits these Nonetheless, (Oldenburg, 1989). home (the first place) and work (the second place)” “the third place” is “a social setting distinct from both be moreof“thethirdplace”,wheretheconcept space. Itshould just aretail not bemerely should shopping. It is Victor Gruen’s vision that amall that offers thatgobeyond customersexperiences center a as functions It 1997). (Zepp, orientation and fororder need the to fulfill believed also is mall a Moreover, p.140). 1960, (Gruen, transportations emergence of automobiles as a means of mass Promotions (Table 1). Business and Holidays, Religious Celebrations, events; National Observances, Personal andFamily of activities listed in the annual cycle of a mall’s keep its facility fluid. There are four main categories tries to fill in its annual cycle with special activities to surrounding community. Therefore, a mall always harmonybetweenamallandits to helpmaintain a mallistouseritualsandseasonalcelebrations A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls Business Promotions Religious Holidays Furniture Sales Month Homebuilder’s Pro-school Sales Commencements Weddings Gift Days Spring SalesDays “Sidewalk Sales” Hanukkah Christmas (SantaClaus) Passover Easter (EasterBunny) , anothermarketingstrategyof The New Religious Image TheNewReligiousImage

Nakhara 71 Nakhara 72 them blessings. people pay their respects to their seniors by pouring scented water on their seniors’ hands. Their seniors then give Traditionally, participants cleanse Lord Buddhaimages in their homes andinthetempleswithscentedwater. Younger New the of Year. day first the day.is Sok This Thaloeng is day third The merit. making of form another as pagodas) also aFamily’s dayin Thailand. Onthisday, participantscarrysandintothetemplestobuildPhraChedi Sai(sand day where participants visit temples to offer food and offerings to the monks. The second day is Nao day, which is performed onthisday, arealsosimilartoMāghaPūjāandVesākha Pūjā. time. first Buddha’s the areLord for which of ascetics activities, teachings five religious the the The to enlightenment It isanobservationofthedayLordBuddhaexplainedDhammacakkappavattana Sutta(ThewheelofLaw)or teaching. The candlelightprocessionistobeperformedintheevening. and offerings to temples. Participants are then performing meditations and listening to the lectures on Lord Buddha’s is anobservationofLordBuddha’s birth,enlightenment,andpassing.Onthisday, participantsarealsotobringfood Sangha). around the main shrine hall, which enshrines Lord Buddha image, three times (for the Buddha, the Dharma, and the candlelight procession. The procession is where both the monks and participants are to perform walking meditations orcircumambulation a lead to are monks the evening, the In Ovādapātimokkhaṁ. chant to are monks the afternoon, the In monks. the to monks) Buddhist to dedicated (offering Khatan Sang and food offer to are they morning, the In temples. at attend to participants for activities religious are day,there this On 1996). (Thanakit, advice) disciplinary (the Ovādapātimokkhaṁ addressing assembly the gave Buddha Lord Pūjā, Māgha of evening the On Buddha. Lord fifty Arahantas (the enlightened monks) whom had been or ordained by Lord Buddha himself came to pay homage to the thirdlunarmonth. The daymarkstheeventsduringLordBuddha’s lifetimewhereonethousandtwohundredand 1 4 3 2 nights, which are are Buddhistholidaysonthethreemajorfullmoon associated with Buddhism and Thai culture. There Beside these,severalholidaysin Thailand are DayisontheQueen’sand birthday.Thai Mother’s dates as Thai Father’s Day is on the King’s birthday Day.and Mother’s However, theydonotsharethe Dayand familycelebrationssuchas,Father’s personal certain share calendars Western and February andChristmasinDecember. Both Thai New Year’s DayinJanuary, Valentine’s Dayin are directlyappliedto Thai societyforexample, celebrations Western Some Table2. in shown as In Thailand, Nationalholidaysandobservancesare Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj ĀsāIhā Pūjā February, such as Songkran (Traditional Thai New Year) is a celebration on April 13-15 of every year. The first day is Maha Songkran month. lunar eighth the of day moon full first the on (Holyday) Uposatha major a is Day) (Dhamma Pūjā ĀsāIhā Vesākha Pūjā (Buddha Day) is a major Uposatha (Holyday) on the first full moon day of the sixth lunar month. It Māgha Pūjā (Sangha Day) is a major Uposatha (Holyday) in Buddhism. It is observed on the first full moon day of Songkran Vesākha Pūjā 3

(Dhamma Day)inJuly. Thai festivals holidays āh Pūjā Māgha 2

(Buddha Day) in May, and 4 (Thai New Year) in April 1

(Sangha Day) in settings andritualsperformedbythecustomers. built environments,bothinphysicalcontentsofthe observes theeffects oftheadaptations intermsof Buddhist holidays and Thai festivals. This research elements, whicharearrangedduringimportant focuses ontemporarysettingsof Thai Buddhist promotions to cover an annual cycle. This paper as listedpreviously, alongwithotherbusiness These include both Western and Thai celebrations applied to many malls in both rural and urban areas. merchandise andtokeeptheatmospherefestiveis and celebrationsbothtohighlightseasonal holidays using of strategy marketing this 2016, 2015- in malls Bangkok in observations the From are alsorelatedtoBuddhistrituals. and LoiKrathongday (Water Goddess celebration) website: http://www.seaconsquare.com Square http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/thailand/Seacon TimeAndDatefrom website: and 2016 15, Table 2. National Holidays andObservancesin Holidays National July Square, retrieved and eventsinSeacon Thailand, A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls

Nakhara 73 Nakhara 74 a bowl of scented water as the symbols of the cultures by using the statue of Lord Buddha and ritual. It of showed theminimization Thai traditional Lord Buddhastatue was merelya part of the whole making merit, the decorated table enshrinedwith the differentdays andeachdaywasassigned waysof holidays whereoverallcelebrationslastedthree to the commonpracticeson Compared Market (Figure4.) supermarkets likeSeriMarket(Figure3)and Tops in suburban areas. Similar settings were found in customers coulddonatemoneytosupporttemples donation boxnexttotheLordBuddhastatuewhere day ofthe consider this a rite of making merit on thethird from thesilverbowlsontostatue.Many Thais for customerstogentlysprinklescentedwater petals alongwithsmallsilverbowlswereprovided flower and water scented of bowl A fabric. gold enshrined on the table decorated with flowers and Store (Figure 2), the Lord Buddha statue was Songkran the during observed was setting This kindof together andbowingtheirheads). Buddha. This ritual iscalled their respectstoLord to show ritual perform aquick enter the area. When entering, most Thai customers store toattractcustomers’ attentionsoncethey oradepartment an entranceareaofasupermarket tallest platform. The settingistypicallylocatednear statue onthe withaLordBuddha enshrined tables A smallsettingusuallyconsistsofonetothree A smallsetting to (3)largesettings. setting, medium (2) settings, small (1) from scaled categorizations of these temporary settings are rituals. contents and topics; thephysical main The these temporary settings are categorized by two form oftemporarysettings. The observationsof Thai Buddhistelementsinmalls are usuallyinthe Southeast inthiscategory.Asia arealsoincluded in countries neighboring by influenced are which are widelyseenin Thai tradition.Otherelements refers to various styles of elements, which religious The term“ThaiBuddhistelements”inthispaper BUDDHIST ELEMENTSINMALLS OBSERVATIONS ONTHAI Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj holidays in 2016. In Isetan Department Isetan In 2016. in holidays Songkran holiday. There wasalsoa Wai (placing their hands (placingtheir hands Songkran Central WorldPlaza,BangkokduringSongkranholidays, Store, Department Isetan of entrance floor ground the at ofLordBuddhastatueonthedecoratedtable The display Figure 2: by Author, April 16,2016. merchandise located on a side table was setnextto table on aside located merchandise setting, 4) (Figure Market Tops the In in thesetting. setting was launched and the elements presented other contexts such as the dates that the temporary customers would have to recognize this by the on howthe rituals should becarried out. The participating. There wasnosignageorinstruction customers weremorelikelytopassby, insteadof positioned inthe middleof the walkwaywhere most the customerstoparticipateinrituals.Itwas that thelocationofsettingdidnotencourage Beside these,itcanbeobservedfrom the currentcontext. this original purpose, as the practice does not fit into Consequently,of now havetobereminded people a symbolof the traditionthat once hadthepurpose. Building practical for the temples that are located intowns. shoes. their on away Today, longer no is this that participantsmayhaveunintentionallycarried Originally, the practicewastobringbacksand participants carryingsandintothetemples’ area. the similarquestionofneglectistradition attached with them. The event which also raised that weredisregarded,alongwiththemeanings question oftheimportanceotherelements of only the elements raisedthe most recognizable Songkran Phra ChediSai holidays. holidays. These chosenrepresentations (sand pagodas)becomes Songkran figure 2 figure ceremony is hosted on an opening date and the and date opening an on hosted is ceremony Pūjā ĀsāIhā Nam ObThai the LordBuddha of LordBuddha,Buddhaimages, andstatuesof relic sacred the 5), (Figure Ratchada Street the In celebration continuesonfora fewdays. Pūjā such as during importantBuddhistholidays and sacredness. The settingisgenerallyarranged famous among are in termsofholiness people Thai customers maypayhomage.Often,theseelements more are there which by elements Buddhist Thai space ofamall,usuallyplazaarea.Inthissetting, A medium setting is commonly locatedina larger A mediumsetting to theirwillingnessparticipateintherituals. encouraged to purchase the merchandise according occurrence. The customersmight theninturnbe the setting acted as a reminder of between commercialpurposesandthesettingas the storesetting. This showsadirectintegration temples, or directly to the Lord Buddha statue in residences, their in them use itemsand these merchandise. The customersthencouldpurchase and food carriers. the The displaywastohighlight (offering dedicated to Buddhist monks), silver bowls, by Author, April 10,2016. Seri Market, Songkran holidays, Paradise Park, Bangkok, rite during statue asamerit-making Buddha Lord on bowl water fromthesilver scented The customerissprinkling Figure 3: (Sangha day), (Dhamma day).Usually, anopening (Thai scented water), scented (Thai statue. included This merchandise Vesākha Pūjā Songkran (Buddha day), and (Buddha day), and Sang Khatan Sang holidays’ Māgha

Place Thonglor, Bangkok duringSongkranholidays,by at theentranceofTopsmerchandises Market,Market statue withSongkran The displayofLordBuddha Figure 4: second floor plaza during seven noblemonksweretemporarydisplayedonthe Author, April 9,2016. can bedividedinto two mainsectionsSanghavasa temples. Buddhist which is acomplex The temple stupa islocatedinthe is theminiature element first The Buddha. Lord of relic sacred the Two elementswerepresented hereinorderto display since thesettingislocatedoutdoors. customers could light the candles and incenses here such as flowers, candles, and incenses. The worship for elements included performed Rituals cloths. withgold decorated tables red carpetsand set by the boundaries within placed They wereall temples. of saints from nine relics enshrined which additionalthree-tiered nine along with thesacredrelicofLordBuddha, which enshrined setting included a the plazaareaduring in nine templesincountriestobeenshrined Lord Buddhaandrelicsof saints wereinvitedfrom of relic sacred the 6), (Figure Center Nine the In cushions wereprovidedforprayingceremonies. was coveredwith carpets as a border marker. Floor platforms, which signified their importance. The area elements weresupportedbydifferent levels of Other holy to beenshrined. relics ofLordBuddha support elevated platformto of theareaincluded decoration A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls Busabok Chedi , a pavilion throne, forthesacred , apavilion Busabok Buddhavasa (Figure 7 & 8). The & 7 (Figure āh Pūjā Māgha Māgha Pūjā with a five-tiered roof five-tiered a with (Figure 9) of Thai in 2016. The 2016. in in 2016. The Bosaboks Chedi or

Nakhara 75 Nakhara 76 the dome,andaSpire.However,of a thedesign structure,thePlatformabove Bell ordome-shaped A 2000). (Döhring, Scripture, oratombforkings Holy sense suchasthealmsbowlofLordBuddha, in thewider or relics of LordBuddha the sacredrelic serves as a place to preserve relics. This canbe A 10). (Figure quarter) building religious monks’(the and quarter) living website: http://www.thestreetratchada.com/gallery.html Pūjā holiday, retrieved February 17, 2016 from The Street Māgha during Bangkok Ratchada, Street The plaza, floor images, andstatuesofsevennoblemonksatthesecond ofthesacredrelicsLordBuddha,Buddha The display Figure 5: Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj uda t a Ste Autaa rtivd coe 3, October 2013 fromWat Satuewebsite:http://www.watsatue.org/ retrieved Ayutthaya, Satue, Wat at Buddha of Lord relic the sacred Chedienshrines The miniature Figure 7: Chedi consists offourmainparts; the Plinth,a Buddhavasa Chedi (the

Rama Nine, Bangkok during Māgha Pūjā holiday, retrieved relic ofLordBuddhaatNineSquare,TheCenter The customers are making merits in front of the sacred Figure 6: Temple, byK.I.Matics,1995. to theThai Chedi,fromIntroduction of round Elevation Figure 8: 2080599171826 https://www.facebook.com/TheNineRama9/posts/104 page: February 22, 2016 from The Nine Center Society facebook The ground floor plan of the religious building quarter building the religious of plan floor ground The Figure 9: such as framework around the windows of palace also beappliedtomultipledecorativepurposes Other thanthese,a 1992). (Matics, significance its to according used the scripturehouse.Fiveorthree-tiersarealso building, forLordBuddha’s footprint,andafor is usuallyappliedtoaroyalpantheonorthrone significant to its usage. A seven-tiered a of portion roof The pinnacle. by aslender tiers topped receding many roof of with awooden by exteriorpillars augmented plan floor cruciform or square a is usually structure A 12). (Figure structure styled the similardesignandproportionsasa 11). A The secondelementisaminiature is placedintheminiature the sacredrelicinside. display The miniature of bothto in gold,transparent,orthecombination The miniature they might contain none themselves (Matics, 1992). only replicasof those oncecontainingrelics,while Chedi Mertens, 2005. and Brian Forms, byNithiSthapitanond Contemporary Traditionaland to Guide AThailand: of Architecture from of Lampang’sWat hilltop Luang, PhraThatLampang canvary. Today, themajorityof Busabok Chedi throne.It is a smallpavilion shares in a temporary setting is usually in atemporarysettingisusually Mondop Mondop Busabok. -styled structurecan -styled structure is structure -styled Busabok Mondop Mondop Chedi Mondop (Figure -styled Chedi roof are - n Venm Acietr o te udit ol) by World), Buddhist Vikram Lall,2014. the of (Architecture Vietnam and Laos, Myanmar,Indonesia, Lands: Cambodia, Thailand Sanghavasa (the monks’ living quarter), from The Golden Buddhavasa shows section shows section below and quarter) building (the religious Above complex: Temple Detailed planshowingtwo main quarters in ThaiBuddhist Figure 10: A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls

Nakhara 77 Nakhara 78 personnel whocouldgiveadditionalinformation. the setting. Signage also directed costumers to of significance the indicated which signage was would participatewiththesetting.Inarea,there customers options, they could decideonhowthey easily be observed. This usage of space gavethe could where therituals the areanexttodisplay in Customers werefreetositonthechairsprovided that thesettingengagedjustapartofplaza. shows 1 Figure 2008). studies, (Buddhist conduct sticks symbolizesthefragranceofpuremoral of LordBuddha’s teaching. Incense from incense symbolize lightandwisdom impermanent. Candles thatallthingsare soon bewithered; beauty thatwill signifies different meanings. Flowers symbolize elements Each ofthese rituals. Buddhist traditional candles, andincensesticksareverycommonin practiced. be flowers, to of rituals use more The for more room elements,italsoprovides Thai Buddhist displaying allow setting the of scale this does only Not a lecturehall,andpalacebuildings 23, 2016. holiday,Pūjā Māgha during Bangkok by Author,February at NineSquare, TheNineCenterRamaNine, Buddha The Busabok enshrinesthe miniature sacred relicof Lord Figure 11: such as,in Both for thekingtobeseated. enough is large Busabok statue orsacredrelicsofLordBuddha. The larger miniature p102). There are mainly two sizes of Busabok. The building androyaltemples(NithiMertens,2005, Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj Busabok Busabok Ubosot are mainly placed in indoor spaces placed inindoor aremainly or enshrines either aLordBuddha enshrines Bot , an ordination hall, , anordination Wihan , the ThaiTemple, byK.I.Matics,1995. to fromIntroduction mondop, Roof portionofadecorated Figure 12: Buddha images and one thousand two hundred and Buddha imagesandonethousandtwohundred thesacredrelicofLordBuddha, plaza toenshrine platform was constructed in the middle of the the plaza area of Seacon Square (Figure 13-17) during An exampleforalargesettingwaslocatedinthe processions. rituals such as praying ceremonies and candlelit Buddhist monks are invited to perform religious an environment around Thai Buddhist temples. Thai Buddhistelementswiththesimulationsof holidays. important Buddhist The settingincludes usually locatedinaplazaareaofmallduring A largesetting,similartoamediumis A largesetting āh Pūjā Māgha oia i 21.A octagonal An 2015. in holiday Figure 15: NationChannelTV/posts/10153179973587450 https://www.facebook.com/ page: facebook 22 NationTV from 2015 holiday,5, Pūjā March Māgha retrieved during monks) at enlightened the ground (the floorof Arahantas plaza, Seacon statues Square, Bangkok fifty and hundred of LordBuddha,Buddhaimagesandonethousandtwo relic sacred the of display the with platform octagonal An Figure 13: of statues fifty NationChannelTV/posts/10153179973587450 https://www.facebook.com/ page: facebook 22 NationTV from 2015 holiday,5, Pūjā March Māgha retrieved during Bangkok Square, Seacon plaza, floor ground the at rite Customers areplacingcoinsinalms bowlsasaMerit-making to payhomageLordBuddha.Ontheevening by LordBuddha,came whom hadbeenorordained fifty and hundred two thousand one great eventsduringLordBuddha’s lifetimewhere of signification the to according was This displayed. were 13) (Figure Arahantas Māgha Pūjā Māgha , the enlightened monks, , theenlightened . The daymarksthe Arahantas , assembly concerning concerning assembly of 53179973587450 https://www.facebook.com/NationChannelTV/posts/101 holiday, Pūjā retrieved March5,2015fromNationTV 22facebookpage: Māgha during plaza, Bangkok floor Square, ground Seacon the at bells ringing are Customers Figure 16: TV/posts/10153179973587450 https://www.facebook.com/NationChannel page: Māgha facebook 22 NationTV from during 2015 5, Bangkok March retrieved holiday, Square, Pūjā Seacon actors plaza, Thai floor leading are monks procession attheground and actressesinthecandlelit Buddhist of group A Figure 14: ceremony around the octagonal platform ledbythe ceremony aroundtheoctagonal of Buddhist monks and a candlelit processional praying ceremonyof the ceremoniesinSeaconSquareincluded Accordingly, 1996). (Thanakit, advice) disciplinary āh Pūjā Māgha A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls day, LordBuddhaaddressedthe Ovādapātimokkhaṁ Ovādapātimokkhaṁ by a group by agroup (the

Nakhara 79 Nakhara 80 ae https://www.facebook.com/NationChannelTV/ posts/10153179973587450 page: holiday, Pūjā retrieved March5,2015from NationTV 22facebook Māgha during Bangkok Square, Seacon plaza, floor ground the at cloths offering are Customers Figure 17: for participants(Döhring,2000). monks, for designed is Ubosot While hall. Lecture the Wihan, the of locations the to (Figure 18). Usually, this main axis also corresponds west toeastwiththeLordBuddhastatuefacing Ideally, enshrines themainstatueof Lord Buddha. building most important buildinginthe whole complex. The in Thai Buddhisttemplesisconsideredtobethe refers to and theSangha. The mainshrine hallinthiscase image, onecirclefor each; the Buddha,the Dharma, Buddha’sthe Lord enshrining hall, thehall shrine the main around meditations perform threewalking participants monksand both where is procession procession. or acandlelight circumambulation The Ovādapātimokkhaṁ In theafternoon,Buddhistmonkschant monks. the to made Khatans Sang and offered inside thetemplearea.Inmorning,foodis Usually, theseceremoniesandritualsarehosted where theoctagonalplatformlocated. of theplaza in thearea these activitieswerelocated customers to offer the monks cloth. (Figure 17). All of to ring for good luck (Figure 16), and an area for the way of making merit (Figure 15), bells for customers as a for customersinwhichtoputcoins alms-bowls Buddhist monks (Figure 14). In addition, there were Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj Ubosot Ubosot always lieswithitsmainaxisfrom or Bot . In the evening, monksleada , an Ordinationhall. Wihan , similarto Wihan Ubosot is is the temple,by Author, July29,2016. of quarter building religious the of plan floor ground The Figure 18: statue throughcandleillumination. This isto create natural light to emphasize the Lord Buddha’s An Ubosot there areeight by complex the Ubosot hall to serve many religious functions (Matics, 1992). Ubosot Ubosot . in from otherbuildings isalsodistinguished , can functionasanassemblyorpreaching is designed with the least amount of Sima Sima Sima markers, the Boundary stones, stones, Boundary the markers, markersplacedaroundthe there weresmalltemporarystallssurroundedthe of local marketarea.Inthisstudy,has theaddition alone in the middleof the plaza, largesetting located is setting medium the While participate. activitiesthatthecustomerscan of religion-related rangeslarge settingaretheatmosphereand The differences betweenamediumsettingand a difficult tocontrol. from other shops, where thevolumeof sound was was interruptedbybothloudcrowdsandmusic terraces. stories of walkway Therefore, thesetting hosted intheplazaarea,whichisopenedtomultiple either. setting was the religious This wasbecause acoustical effect was not represented in the mall not recreate such an atmospheric outcome. and did The too bright were mall the in light artificial in SeaconSquare.Bothnaturallightand enshrined the LordBuddha’swhen reinterpreted statueswere effects of kinds these observations, the not were From 2006). Vorasun, and (Jayanin peaceful and they enter when noise loud make to not try Participants filtered. be it leavesroomfortheoutsidenoisesto boundaries, quarterisoffset building the religious fromtheland sound isalsoconsideredtobeveryimportant.Since spirit. religious claims toenhance statue, which The reflections from the golden surface of Lord Buddha’s Figure 19: www.facebook.com/SeaconSquareFanPage/photos April 13, retrieved 2016 holiday,from Seacon Pūjā Square facebook page: Māgha https:// Seacon during plaza, Bangkok Square, floor ground the at statue Buddha Lord scentedwaterfromsilver bowlson Customer sprinkling Ubosot . is quiet The environment of Seacon Square during area intheplaza mall wasobserved the shopping Another case study of the temporary setting in COMMERCIAL SPACES CULTURAL PRACTICESOF between thesettingandmarketarea. boundary can befadedasthereisnoclear place of thefestival,spirit the environment highlight temple fair. Although this temple fair atmosphere can of the setting whichcreatedtheatmosphere large mall duringBuddhistholidays,by Author, July29,2016. shopping the in area plaza the of plan floor ground The Figure 20: 9 srone b sal eprr sal (Figure stalls temporary small by surrounded 19) setting (Figure of anareaforthereligious consisted which festival, the hosted Square Seacon 2016. 20). These stalls were decorated with wood and A PlacetoP(r)ay: A StudyofSpiritualRitualsinBangkokMalls Songkran holidays in

Nakhara 81 Nakhara 82 the festival. and culturalshows hosted onthe stage throughout Moreover, therewere Thai danceperformances famous shops from different areas in Thailand. (Figure 22).Mostshopsinthefestivalwerelocally the temple fair in the mall shows the subtle the shows mall the fair in temple the considered as one of the symbols of globalization, is mall a While mall. shopping the of context new In this case, the temple fair was relocated to the and other merchandise for occupying thesestallssold Thai foodandbeverages atmosphere of a temple fair (Figure 21). The shops iron sheets corrugated galvanized to simulate the / photos facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SeaconSquareFanPage Square Seacon from 2016 holiday, 12, Pūjā April retrieved Māgha during Bangkok Square, Seacon Overall area of Songkran festival at the ground floor plaza, Figure 21: Nicha Wiboonpote /PatSeeumpornroj accumulation ofmerits.” with the religion other than the so-called quo andexpectlittlefromtheirinvolvement are moreorlesscontentwiththestatus to make merit. opportunities These people them withculturalentertainmentandmore act. Temple provide celebrations fairs and ceremonies is also considered a meritorious Taking part in Buddhist festivals and the construction projects of a monastery. offering foodtomonksorcontributing means merit making activities such as “For Thai traditionalists, Buddhism often Songkran (Sunthorn, 1995) celebrations oia, eree Arl 3 21 fo Sao Square Seacon from Pūjā 2016 Māgha 13, April during retrieved holiday, Bangkok Square, Seacon plaza, floor ground the at festival Songkran during stalls Food Figure 22: related activities andlocal traditions that are religion- The 2012). al, et (Kwanchit community the templeshavealwaysbeen afoundationfor as aspiritualrefugeforcommunity membersand role in Thai community. They havebeenconstructed Thai Buddhist temples have always had a significant CONCLUSION the commercialcontexts. balance inthisimitationofthereligioussettings another question of its appropriation, including the are merged in the context of malls. This leads to activities fromcommercialasthetwo temples might not be able to separate religious new generations who get to know malls before different contextstranslatesthemdifferently. The teaching. However, placingthesameelementsin the newgenerationsaboutLordBuddha’s Uraiwan’s suggestion wheresheaimedtoeducate cultural practices of the localarea. This canrefer to malls areexposedtothesereligioussettingsand customers whointend to spend their timein to survivethechangesinsociety. Furthermore, Local shops are encouraged to develop themselves itself whereitcanstandoutfromitscompetitors. also presents distinction and uniqueness of the mall contexts. localandglobal between integration This FanPage/photos facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Seacon Square one locationatthesametime. where there can be a variety of specified intents in can create alternative expectations of the mall itself, when the two different types of spaces merged, it commercial spacestobeentertained.Nevertheless, dress according to their intentions of visiting similarly appliedtoshoppingmalls. The customers and have initial ideasof howthey should act. This is to visit the temples, peoplewillhave to beprepared (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). This shows that Watvisit to intend Kaewwho Phra participants for signage suggestsguidelinesofappropriateattire who participate in the space. In figure 23, the customers the also but alone, malls the to due Additionally, thesemisinterpretationsarenotonly religion beyonditssettingalone. generation couldobservethewayoflivingwith context of Thai traditionallifestyleswherethenew another typeoftheintegration.Itincludedlocal large settingasseeninSeaconSquareshowed the religious settings and the market area in the misinterpreted. However, the co-existence between setting. Consequently, itwaslesslikelytobe The Street,explanationswereprovidedforthe in Tops Market. This is because in The Nine and the directintegrationwithcommercialpurposes Street areconsideredtobemoreappropriatethan this paper, the medium settings in The Nineand The present society. According tothecasestudiesin the with practices mergetraditional to carefully a balance in the way they represent the religion find to have malls The purposes. commercial to lead to false perceptions by linking the religion of the practices, this reinterpretation might also might notbeabletorecognizethecoremeanings intentions behindit.Notonlythat,thecustomers the religionintermsofpracticesbutalso changes thecustomers’ perceptionstowards settings into the commercial context not only Bangkok mallsshowsthattorelocatethereligious This phenomenon of Thai Buddhist elements in seen inthesmallsettings. become merelyrepresentationsofthereligionas eventually will rituals their actions, their behind Nonetheless, ifpeoplecannotrealizethemeaning people practiced aremoreofancientstrategiestoguide intodoinggooddeedsbymakingmerits. The Figure 23: . (2002) Athiwat, S. 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ou in of .