Lanna Lanterns : Traditional Production Formats and New Designs for Business

Abstract

The aims of this qualitative research were to study history, form, type and patterns of Lanna lanterns along with the traditional production Formats and new designs for business. The research area was Mueang Sat community at Nhong Hoi Sub-District, Muang District, Chiang Mai Province. The data were obtained from 59 key informants including folk sages, community leaders, religious leaders, producers, and traders. By using purposive sampling and collected data by document analysis and in-depth interview. The results show that the art from of making Lanna lantern is a wisdom which merges Brahmanism and Buddhism. The Lanterns were created to worship Buddha in Yi Peng festival (Loy Krathong). According to their beliefs, the light of the lanterns will give them a good life and prosperity. The Lanna lanterns are classified into four styles: lantern holder, hanging lantern, floor lantern, and Konming lantern. There are 10 types of lanterns: 1) Sema Dhammajak lantern or octagonal lantern 2) Jar lantern 3) Gra-Jang lantern 4) Star lantern 5) Ngieow lantern 6) Hoo Kratai lantern 7) Gra-Bok lantern 8) Phat lantern 9) Eo lantern and 10) Japanese lantern. Decorative motifs are categorized into 16 patterns i.e. Dok Bua, Dok Jok, 12 zodiac animals etc. 2. Production Lanna lanterns in the past used natural materials but nowadays producers use ready materials available in the market to reduce production time.
There are 5 main steps of traditional and modified lanterns: 1) preparing the equipment for making the lantern’s structure. 2) stick paper or cloth on the structure. 3) combine the lantern tail. 4) fold and cut the decorations. 5) decorate the lantern with the decoration design.