The function of folklore on Khanom La in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Abstract

     The research employed a qualitative method and aimed to analyze the role of Khanom La in Nakhon Si Thammarat province according to folklore concepts. The important Informants divided into six groups included knowledgeable people with expertise and experience in manufacturing who can transform knowledge and promote the making of local Khanom La including sage villagers, local artists, senior scholars, community leaders, representatives of local government organizations, the heads of the district cultural council, and representatives from relevant agencies. Data were collected from secondary and primary sources or field studies with interviews, observation, and focus group discussions. Content analysis and descriptive summary were employed.
     The research showed that the folkloristic function of folklore on Khanom La in Nakhon Si Thammarat was as follows: 1) explain the background and reasons for the rites, focusing on the importance of Khanom La, a dessert in making merit during the festival of the tenth lunar month, 2) educate society through oral tradition, focusing on telling that Khanom La is the local wisdom created and passed on from the ancestors, 3) maintain a behavioral standard of society as a social plan because unique characteristics of Khanom La can be compared as the bonding of family, and 4) entertain and be a solution for people’s frustrations in society because the making of Khanom La is the reflection of the local wisdom, including the application and adaptation to social and cultural changes.