Ritual of ancestor Sacrifice and Social Function in the Veda and Thai People

Abstract

The objectives of this academic article aimed to 1) to study the ritual of ancestor sacrifice in the Veda and Thai society and 2) to study the theories of folklore influenced toward the way of life of Vedic people and Thai society. The results indicated that the ritual or ceremony is a kind of activity and function in all human beings’ society which related to and arranged by a doctrine, religion, or belief of tradition and culture for alchemy, supernaturalism or good fortune, etc. Ritual of ancestor sacrifice is a kind of belief in the Vedic period which is worshiped, performed, and continued from that time until the present. Vedic people believed in their ancestors’ spirits and so did Thai people. Both people in the two nations believed that the ancestors’ spirits could punish their relatives who had bad behaviors but help those who had good behaviors.  Both nations have still believed that ancestors’ spirits can provide them goodness and badness so they usually have to perform the sacrifices to the ancestors. Then, the ritual of ancestor sacrifice has become the deep belief of two cultures, unify, and create people to be a unique and happy society under their belief.