Once a year, the small town of Dan Sai in Thailand's Isan region fills with dancing spirits in towering, painted masks. Phi Ta Khon draws visitors from around the world. For the town itself, the festival is also where one generation teaches the next.
An ethnographic study in Ethnography and Education followed 35 participants through the festival: elders, artisans, young people, organizers and visitors. The researchers used observation, interviews and focus groups.
They describe Phi Ta Khon as a living pedagogical space. Mask-making, rituals and storytelling pass on cultural knowledge and moral values. Elders mentor the young, teaching both the technical skills and the spiritual meanings behind them.
The festival sustains local heritage while it engages a global audience. Its role, the researchers find, reaches well beyond celebration: it serves cultural preservation, informal education and learning across generations.
The authors see Phi Ta Khon as a model for how community rituals foster lifelong learning and strengthen cultural identity. They point to lessons for museum education and heritage programs, and to the festival's role in building cross-cultural understanding.
Sources
Nopas, D., et al. (2025). Dancing with spirits: The Phi Ta Khon festival as a gateway to lifelong learning and cultural preservation. Ethnography and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/17457823.2025.2565696
