Sat Duan Sip (สารทเดือนสิบ), literally meaning the "Tenth Lunar Month Festival," is a major merit-making festival deeply rooted in the cultural and religious life of Southern Thailand. Occurring during the tenth lunar month (typically late September to early October), this tradition is dedicated to honoring and feeding the spirits of deceased ancestors, particularly those believed to be suffering in the lower realms.
The core belief underpinning Sat Duan Sip is that the gates of the underworld are opened twice during the tenth lunar month, allowing ancestral spirits (referred to as Poo Tai or "deceased grandparents") to temporarily return to the earthly realm to visit their living relatives and receive merit.The festival takes place over two specific dates:
The most recognizable feature of the festival is the preparation of unique traditional sweets, known collectively as the Sat offerings, which are necessary provisions for the ancestors' long journey:
These and other sweets, along with rice, fruits, and savory dishes, are arranged in a beautifully decorated stack called "Set Prieang" (เสตเปรต) at the temple.
On Wan Song, families gather at the temple (Wat) to make the main communal offering. The food is offered to the monks, and simultaneously, a separate portion is left on the ground or a specific platform outside the main hall, explicitly dedicated to the spirits of the ancestors (especially those who have become Pret—suffering spirits with large appetites).This ritual of dedicating merit (Grat Nam) is vital. The living descendants pour water slowly onto the ground while chanting, symbolically transferring the merit generated from the food offering to their forebears. The festival is a poignant demonstration of filial piety and the enduring Buddhist belief in karma and reincarnation, binding the living and the dead through acts of compassion and remembrance.