Surprising Things You’d Only See in Thailand

For Phi Ta Khon, the streets of Dan Sai in Loei fill with figures that look like they escaped from a brightly colored nightmare. Participants wear huge hand-painted ghost masks, patchwork costumes, dangling bells, and towering headpieces while dancing through noisy processions.

The celebration forms part of the Bun Luang Festival and combines Buddhist beliefs with older local traditions surrounding spirits and community life. The costumes have grown increasingly colorful over time, turning supposedly frightening ghosts into some of Thailand’s most cheerful-looking monsters. Even the spirits here seem ready for a parade.