Phosop
| Phosop โพสพ | |
|---|---|
Goddess of rice | |
.jpg) Image of Phosop the goddess of rice at Siam Society, Bangkok | |
| Affiliation | Ponmagyi, Po Nagar, Dewi Sri, Tutelary deities |
| Abode | Paddy field |
| Symbol | Mature rice sheaves |
| Mount | clown featherback |
| Consort | Phra Mahachai Phraisop |
Phosop (Thai: โพสพ) or Phaisop (Thai: ไพสพ) is the rice goddess of the Thai people.[1] She is a deity more related to ancient Thai folklore than a goddess of a structured, mainstream religion.[2] She is also known as Mae Khwan Khao (Thai: แม่ขวัญข้าว;[3] "Mother of Rice Prosperity").
Background
Ritual offerings are made to propitiate the Rice Goddess during the different steps of rice production. Villagers believe that Phosop ensures everyone has enough to eat.[4]
In modern Thailand, paying homage to Phosop by rice farmers had been declining in recent times, but Queen Sirikit gave royal patronage to this ancient custom of Thai folklore in August 2008.[5]
These traditional celebrations related to rice and its cultivation stages have a deep traditional significance in order to ensure that farmers will have good harvests.[6] Every year the Royal Ploughing Ceremony takes place in Thailand. At the end of it people scramble to collect the seeds from the furrows in order to increase their luck.[7]
According to archaeological evidence,
Representation
The iconographic representation of Phosop is of a beautiful woman wearing full jewelry and a red or green dress. She is in the sitting or standing position holding a harvested rice sheaf on her right shoulder,[9] but sometimes also resting on her arm.[10] The recent iconography of this goddess is based on the devī of Hinduism but its origins are local and more ancient.[11]
In certain locations a young village woman may dress as Phosop during local rice harvest festivals and celebrations.[12]
Rice goddess in Southeast Asia
Indonesia
A similar rice goddess also can be found in Indonesia; Dewi Sri, also known as Nyi Pohaci, is the Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese rice, agriculture and fertility goddess. Shrines to Dewi Sri are a common feature in local rice fields.[13]
Khmer
The
Khmu
Dances to propitiate the rice goddess are common among the
Laos
Known as Nang Khosop in
Seeing that they were famished the hermit appealed to Nang Khosop to feed them. But the rice goddess was angry and refused. Then the hermit, fearing for the future of the Buddhist Dharma, slaughtered Nang Khosop and cut her into many little pieces. As a consequence the fragments of the rice goddess became the different varieties of rice such as black rice, white rice, hard rice (khâo chao) and glutinous rice. The old couple taught humans how to cultivate this new rice in small grains and the Buddhist doctrine flourished.[16]
According to another legend of the
Buddhist connection
Some authors have studied how Buddhism has brought about a reinterpretation of pre-Buddhist meanings through the myth of the rice goddess.[18]
Modern use as a symbol
Phosop is featured in the logo of the Rice Department (กรมการข้าว) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand.[19]
Worship in Bangkok
The capital of Thailand,
The idol of Phosop is believed to have been made of gold before, but in the 1970s it was stolen from three men from outside the area. Until now, the original idol is still not found[20] . Another one is
Pop culture
Phosop is adapted as a protagonist in a Thai fantasy/romantic-comedy TV drama titled A Mission from the Goddess of Rice (ปาฏิหารย์รักแม่โพสพ; lit: "Love Miracle of Mother Phosop") on Channel 3 in 2021.[22]
See also
Notes
- ^ Pairin Jotisakulratana, Mae Po sop: The Rice Mother of Thailand
- ^ On the Role of Food Habits in the Context of the Identity and Cultural Heritage of South and South East Asia
- ^ ชนชาติไทในนิทาน : แลลอดแว่นคติชนและวรรณกรรมพื้นบ้าน / ศิราพร ณ ถลาง กรุงเทพฯ : มติชน, 2545
- ^ Rice Hoarding Affect Supplies in Thailand
- ^ Thailand revives worship of Rice Goddess – The China Post
- ^ Phranakhon Si Ayutthaya; Farming Custom
- ^ Rice Goddesses of Southeast Asia
- ^ หน้า 69 – On History, ภาพเขียนสีที่ผาหม่อนน้อย ร่องรอยของ 'พระแม่โพสพ' เมื่อ 2,000 ปีที่แล้วในอุษาคเนย์ / ศิริพจน์ เหล่ามานะเจริญ. ฉบับประจำวันที่ 24–30 พฤศจิกายน พ.ศ. 2556 มติชนสุดสัปดาห์ ปีที่ 44 ฉบับที่ 2258 (in Thai)
- ^ Po Sop
- ^ ศาลแม่โพสพริมคลองบางพรม: หลักฐานทุ่งนาฝั่งธนฯ
- ISBN 974-210345-3
- ^ Woman in Pho sop costume
- ^ "(Indonesian) Mitos Nyi Pohaci/Sanghyang Asri/Dewi Sri". My.opera.com. 2008-03-01. Retrieved 2012-08-26.
- ^ Po Ino Nogar
- ^ La danse du riz de la minorité Kho Mu Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Stringler, Florence. (2011) L'alimentation des Laotiens. Cuisine, recettes et traditions au Laos et en France, pg. 31
- ^ Charles Archaimbault. (1973) Structures religieuses lao: rites et mythes. Volume 2 of Collection Documents pour le Laos, pg. 240
- ^ Richard Pottier – Le vidéo-lexique : Mythe de la déesse du riz
- ^ กรมการข้าว – Rice Department
- ISBN 978-974-7727-93-7.
- ^ Thongpan, Saran (2017-08-05). "ศาลแม่โพสพ" [Mother Phosop Shrine]. Sarakadee (in Thai). Retrieved 2021-08-07.
- ^ "ปาฏิหาริย์รักแม่โพสพ" [A Mission from the Goddess of Rice]. Ch3plus (in Thai).
External links
