Girl student, 16, wins annual Guan Yin Goddess contest

Girl student, 16, wins annual Guan Yin Goddess contest

Natcha Sae-Eiaw, centre, a 16-year-old student, has won the annual Guan Yin Goddess contest and will play a key role in the Chinese New Year celebrations in Nakhon Sawan’s Muang municipality early next year. (Photo by Chalit Phumruang)
Natcha Sae-Eiaw, centre, a 16-year-old student, has won the annual Guan Yin Goddess contest and will play a key role in the Chinese New Year celebrations in Nakhon Sawan’s Muang municipality early next year. (Photo by Chalit Phumruang)

NAKHON SAWAN: A 16-year-old girl has won the traditional annual contest to represent Guan Yin, the Goddess of Compassion, in the lead up to the next Chinese New Year celebration in Muang municipality.

The winner gets to be “worshipped” by the entire city. It is part of the preparations for the popular Chinese New Year celebrations at Pak Nam Pho in this central province, which has a large population of Thais of Chinese descent.

Guan Yin is perceived as having miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, 

The contest, which attracted a large crowd, was decided on Monday afternoon at Chao Por Chao Mae Na Pha Shrine, where the 15 virgins who entered the event were first narrowed down to five.  

In the final stage, the contestants competed in a sacred activity which has been practiced there for 103 years. It was held before the statue of the Pak Nam Pho God-Goddess. 

They had to take turns throwing a pair of hand-sized red wooden crescents, known as pua puay, three times. The winner needed to twice have one wooden crescent land facing up and the other facing down, and both facing down the third time. 

The final contest lasted about one hour before Natcha Sae-Eiaw was declared the winner. The daughter of vendor parents, Ms Natcha is studying at senior high school level at Photisansuksa School in Muang district. 

A media conference was later held to announce the 12-day festival to mark the Chinese New Year at Pak Nam Pho, from Jan 29 to Feb 9 next year. 

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