Amnat Charoen

Amnat Charoen is one of Thailand’s seventy-seven provinces (changwat) lies in central northeastern Thailand also called Isan. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise from the south) Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon, and Mukdahan. To the east it borders Salavan of Laos. Its name is a concatenation of “authority, power” and “prosperous”.

Although it is a small and tranquil town, Amnat Charoen has various attractions. Visitors to Charoen can view sacred Buddha images, picturesque rice paddies and fruit orchards, rocky rapids of Mekong River in dry season, and excellent handicrafts, particularly silk.The people of Amnat Charoen attach their lifestyle to local traditions and festivals that are held throughout year such as the festival to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, the Rocket Festival, Loy Krathong and Songkran. Moreover, they practice 14 moral precepts such as cleaning feet before entering a home, donating food to monks, avoiding stepping on a monk’s shadow, paying respect to parents, paying homage to Buddha images with flowers, candles, and joss sticks and learning Dhamma every day.

Most people in Amphoe Chanuman are descendants of the Phu Thai ethnic group who migrated from Laos. They specialise in weaving “khit” cloth, preserving its unique patterns. Their traditional musical performance “mor lam” always supports the democratic constitutional monarchy. Amnat Charoen people try to retain the “long khuang” tradition which consisted of teenagers meeting up for communal activities such as weaving or silk spinning accompanied by lively traditional music.