For over seven centuries, Siam has been home of diverse cultures, a cross-road where civilizations meet.
In Act 1, Siam Niramit takes you back to the past to witness...
The King and Queen lead a procession to worship relics of the Lord Buddha. They release a ceremonial lantern then the royal guards perform a display of swordsmanship.
In the south, Thai Buddhist and Muslim cultures blend harmoniously. Chinese merchants arrive from across the seas to barter goods.
Villagers celebrate the religious festival in front of the sacred temple. Suddenly an ancient and revered Khmer temple, appears before their eyes. “Apsara” (angels) magically come to life.
The peasants live a simple life, cultivating rice in the fertile soil of the Central Plains. Life in the palace, in contrast, is very grand, as Western ambassadors arrive to discuss foreign relations. Witness the magnificent procession of royal barges.
Despite their diverse cultures and livelihoods, Thai people are all bound by a common belief in the religious principle of the Law of Karma. Good deeds or bad deeds in this world result in merit or suffering in the next life.
In Act 2 we visit the three realms central to traditional Thai beliefs...
Fiery Hell, where the flames are fuelled by peoples sins, is ruled by Phrayom, King of Hell. He ensures that the condemned souls receive punishment that matches the nature and gravity of their crimes. Liars have their tongues torn out; alcoholics are forced to drink from a cauldron of boiling water; adulterers must climb a tree bristling with sharp thorns…
Himapaan is a mystical forest that exists at the boundary between our earthly realm and heaven. This beautiful and mysterious forest is populated by magical creatures such as kinaree (half woman-half bird), and nareepon (beautiful girls born from trees as fruit)... In this scene,we see Mekhala & Ramasoon, demi-gods who are believed, in Thai mythology, to be the progenitors of lightning and thunder.
Heaven, where Indra, the greatest deity of all, presides. Angels perform an elegant aerial dance.
Thai Buddhists believe that to go to heaven, one must gather merit on earth. Thai culture is full of a wide variety of merit-making festivals, which combine religious ceremony with colourful and joyful celebration, for example, Ordination Ceremonies, Songkran, the Phitakhon Ghost Parade, Loy Krathong etc.
