This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
รู้รักภาษาไทย: Cat Cartoons: Episode Forty Five…
เสียงเด็ก ๆ ร้องเพลง: รู้รักภาษาไทย
Sound of children singing: Learn and Love the Thai Language.
ผู้บรรยาย: ตอน รดน้ำสังข์
Narrator: Episode – ‘Rot-nam-sang’.
สีสวาด: วันนี้คุณพ่อคุณแม่พี่เก่งบอกลูก ๆ ว่าจะไปงานแต่งงาน มีพิธีรดน้ำสังข์คู่บ่าวสาวตอนห้าโมงเย็น
Si Sawat: Today, Pee Geng’s mum and dad told his children that they’re going to a wedding where there will be a ‘Rot-nam-sang’ the bride and groom ceremony at five in the evening.
วิเชียรมาศ: รดน้ำสังข์ทำยังไง(อย่างไร) เอาน้ำมารดหอยสังข์หรอ
Wi-chian maat: How do you ‘Rot-nam-sang’? Do you ‘rot’ water on a ‘hoi sang?
สีสวาด: รดน้ำสังข์ ก็คือ ใส่น้ำมนต์ลงในหอยสังข์แล้วเทน้ำมนต์รดที่ศีรษะหรือที่มือคู่บ่าวสาว ที่บ้านเราก็มีสังข์ พี่เก่งเคยเอาใส่น้ำแล้วเอามาเทเล่น
Si Sawat: ‘Rot-nam-sang’ involves filling a ‘hoi sang’ with holy water and then pouring a trickle of it on the head or hands of the bride and groom. We have ‘sang’-s in our house. Pee Geng had filled one up with water before and then poured it out in a trickle just for fun.
วิเชียรมาศ: เวลาพี่เก่งเทน้ำในหอยสังข์เล่น เรียกว่ารดน้ำสังข์มั๊ย(ไหม)
Wi-chian maat: When Pee Geng poured out the water from the ‘hoi sang’, would that be called ‘Rot-nam-sang’?
สีสวาด: ไม่เรียกจ้ะ
Si Sawat: No, it would not.
ผู้บรรยาย: การใช้น้ำมนต์ที่ออกมาจากสังข์รดให้เจ้าบ่าวเจ้าสาวในพิธีแต่งงานเรียกว่า รดน้ำสังข์
Narrator: Using the holy water that comes out of the ‘sang’ to trickle onto the bride and groom in a wedding ceremony, is called ‘Rot-nam-sang’.
แมวทั้งสามตัว: แล้วพบกันใหม่นะครับบบ (ครับ)
All Three Cats: See you again next time!
เสียงเด็ก ๆ ร้องเพลง: รู้รักภาษาไทย
Sound of children singing: Learn and Love the Thai Language.
Comments…
The words in ‘Rot-nam-sang’ (รดน้ำสังข์) individually have the following meanings:
‘Rot’ (รด) means ‘(to) water, pour, or sprinkle’.
‘Nam’ (น้ำ) means ‘water’.
‘Sang’ (สังข์) means ‘conch shell’.
‘Rot-nam-sang’ (รดน้ำสังข์) as a compound noun however basically means ‘water pouring ceremony’ as explained above in the dialogue. According to Thai tradition, the pouring of water is the most important part of the Thai wedding ceremony as it signifies the couple officially becoming husband and wife. Traditionally, this was all that was required to validate the marriage. Nowadays a couple is required to register their marriage at a local registration office and obtain a marriage certificate.
During the ceremony, the bride and groom will kneel together at traditional water pouring tables, and a ceremonial headdress consisting of a cotton string (which has been blessed by Buddhist monks) is draped from one head to the other, forming a circle and connecting the couple. This symbolizes their spiritual union. They then clasp their palms together and let them hang down from the tables. One by one, the guests then walk up and pour a conch shell full of sacred water over the couple’s hands while offering a blessing or marital advice. The water ceremony is usually performed by all guests older than the couple, with the grandparents and parents proceeding first, followed by relatives and friends of the family. (Adapted from: The Thai Water Ceremony).
น้ำมนต์ means ‘holy / blessed / sacred / lustral water’.
Photo Credit: pixabay.com
It is interesting to note that the notion of ‘ladies first’ in Western culture spills over into the English language for e.g. ‘mum and dad’ and ‘bride and groom’ whereas in Thai it is normally ‘gentlemen first’ as in คุณพ่อคุณแม่ (literally: dad and mum) and เจ้าบ่าวเจ้าสาว (literally: groom and bride) respectively.
PDF Downloads…
Below is a pdf download (created by Catherine) to help with your studies. It has Thai script, transliteration, and English.
Download: Cat Cartoons Episode Forty Five: Conversation
The Cat Cartoon Series…
Original transcript and translation provided by Sean Harley. Transliterations via T2E (thai2english.com).
