Ghosts Follow Us

Deep in Thailand's rural north, the villagers of Dansai believe their lives are deeply entwined with the spirit world.

This largely agricultural community uphold deeply rooted beliefs based on a mix of animism and Buddhism. Every year, these beliefs culminate in the Hua Luang and Phi Ta Khon festivities, where troupes of villagers dress in rags and don painted masks made of sticky rice baskets and coconut palm husks. They believe that doing so honours the ghosts who will bring them abundant rice harvests though the upcoming monsoon. But this region is now at the forefront of Thailand’s environmental crisis. Isaan is battling drought and desertification as a result of shifting rain patterns linked to global warming. What climate change could mean for this community’s generational wisdom is yet to be determined.

Supported by the Thailand Tourism Authority.

Video credits

Director / Producer | Mailee Osten-Tan
Director of Photography | Nicolas Axelrod
Editor | Mailee Osten-Tan
Field Producer | Jirada Sanguanwong
Research Assistant | Kanokwan Wimhonkhajonsiri
Translation | Ratanapa Puangrat