Dancing with spirits: the Phi Ta Khon festival as a gateway to lifelong learning and cultural preservation

This paper presents an ethnographic study of the Phi Ta Khon Festival in Thailand's Isan region, exploring its role in cultural preservation, informal education and intergenerational learning. Fieldwork in Dan Sai with 35 participants—including elders, artisans, youth, organisers and visitors—used observation, interviews and focus groups. The findings show the festival as a living pedagogical space where mask—making, rituals and storytelling pass on cultural knowledge and moral values. Elders mentor youth, teaching technical skills and spiritual meanings, sustaining heritage while engaging global audiences. The study contributes to the anthropology of education by demonstrating how community rituals foster lifelong learning, strengthen cultural identity and provide models for museum education and heritage programming. Phi Ta Khon illustrates how festivals function as tools for education, cultural sustainability and cross—cultural understanding.