Phan (tray)
Encyclopedia
Phan is an artistically decorated tray
with a pedestal
common in Thailand
, Cambodia
and Laos
.
Phans are usually made of metal such as copper, silver, brass or steel. Nowadays aluminum or gilded plastic is generally used, which makes the phan lighter. This is convenient, for sometimes they have to be carried for a long time.
The phan trays are traditionally very important in Thai culture
. Phans are generally used for ritual devotional practices and offerings may be placed on phans by the shrines. Phans are also used for containing other highly important things, including legal documents such as the Constitution
.
Phans are also to bring the items of the Buddhist ceremony for young men who are to be ordained
as monks
, like robes, incense
, candles and a pillow, among other items. In this case the family first displays all the items in the house, and then family members bring the items on decorated phans from the home to the temple.
Formerly, when the chewing of areca nut and betel
was common among the Thai people, the ingredients for chewing, the nuts, leaves, spices and instruments for cutting, were presented on a phan to the guest entering the house as part of a traditional welcoming ceremony.
In the story of the "Seven Nang Songkrans", Thao Kabinlaphrom, a mythical being, had to cut off his own head to perform a ceremonial salute to Thammaban Kuman. The problem was that if his head fell to the earth, it would scorch it. If it went up into the air, there would be no rain, and if it fell into the sea, the waters would dry up. So he decided to order his daughter to bring a phan, where he would place his head after having cut it off. Thus she could carry the head in a ritual procession across the heavens around Khao Phra Sumen (Mount Sumeru), following which she would keep it in a cave in Khao Krailat (Mount Kailash
). This ceremony would be performed yearly by one of the seven daughters in turn, the Nang Songkrans.
Tray
A tray is a shallow platform designed for carrying things. It is larger than a salver, a diminutive version commonly used for lighter and smaller servings, and it can be fashioned from numerous materials, including silver, brass, sheet iron, wood, melamine, and papier-mâché...
with a pedestal
Pedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
common in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
Description
A phan is normally round and comes in different sizes. The usual measures range between a diameter of 20 cm to about 50 cm. It is more or less deep.Phans are usually made of metal such as copper, silver, brass or steel. Nowadays aluminum or gilded plastic is generally used, which makes the phan lighter. This is convenient, for sometimes they have to be carried for a long time.
Tradition
The phan trays are traditionally very important in Thai culture
Culture of Thailand
The Culture of Thailand incorporates cultural beliefs and characteristics indigenous to the area known as modern day Thailand coupled with much influence from ancient India, China, Cambodia, along with the neighbouring pre-historic cultures of Southeast Asia...
. Phans are generally used for ritual devotional practices and offerings may be placed on phans by the shrines. Phans are also used for containing other highly important things, including legal documents such as the Constitution
Constitution of Thailand
The Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand is the supreme law of Thailand. Since the change from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional democracy in 1932, Thailand has had 17 charters and constitutions, reflecting the high degree of political instability and frequency of military coups faced...
.
Phans are also to bring the items of the Buddhist ceremony for young men who are to be ordained
Pabbajja
Pabbajja literally means "to go forth" and refers to when a layperson leaves home to live the life of a Buddhist renunciate among a community of monks . This generally involves preliminary ordination as a novice...
as monks
Bhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
, like robes, incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
, candles and a pillow, among other items. In this case the family first displays all the items in the house, and then family members bring the items on decorated phans from the home to the temple.
Formerly, when the chewing of areca nut and betel
Betel
The Betel is the leaf of a vine belonging to the Piperaceae family, which includes pepper and Kava. It is valued both as a mild stimulant and for its medicinal properties...
was common among the Thai people, the ingredients for chewing, the nuts, leaves, spices and instruments for cutting, were presented on a phan to the guest entering the house as part of a traditional welcoming ceremony.
In the story of the "Seven Nang Songkrans", Thao Kabinlaphrom, a mythical being, had to cut off his own head to perform a ceremonial salute to Thammaban Kuman. The problem was that if his head fell to the earth, it would scorch it. If it went up into the air, there would be no rain, and if it fell into the sea, the waters would dry up. So he decided to order his daughter to bring a phan, where he would place his head after having cut it off. Thus she could carry the head in a ritual procession across the heavens around Khao Phra Sumen (Mount Sumeru), following which she would keep it in a cave in Khao Krailat (Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash
Mount Kailash is a peak in the Gangdisê Mountains, which are part of the Himalayas in Tibet...
). This ceremony would be performed yearly by one of the seven daughters in turn, the Nang Songkrans.
Other
- "พอ พาน", (pho phan) is also used as an illustration in order to name the letter พ, the 30th consonant of the Thai alphabetThai alphabetThai script , is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
, according to the traditional letter symbols Thai children use to memorize the alphabet.
- The Phu Phan mountainsPhu Phan MountainsThe Phu Phan mountains are a range of hills dividing the Khorat Plateau of the Isan region of Thailand into two basins: the northern Sakhon Nakhon Basin, and the southern Khorat Basin.-Etymology:...
(Thai: เทือกเขาภูพาน) are named after this tray because their silhouette is flat on the top.
- A two-tiered phan appears in the centre of the Royal Arms of CambodiaRoyal Arms of CambodiaThe royal coat of arms of the Kingdom of Cambodia is the symbol of the Cambodian monarchy. They have existed in some form close to the one depicted since the establishment of the independent Kingdom of Cambodia in 1953...