"Idun Awdah - An Unknown Indigenous Festival in Phuket" in Nat Geo Thailand

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"Idun Awdah - An Unknown Indigenous Festival in Phuket" in Nat Geo Thailand

athikhom saengchai

Mar 26, 2022

Location: Phuket, Thailand

Idun Awdah (in Thai นอนหาด [non hat], literally means "sleep on the beach") is a traditional festival of the Moklens, a marginalized ethnic group with severely endangered language and culture in southwestern Thailand. During the 3-day festival, the Moklens will gather at a beach in the north of Phuket Island to eat and sleep together with their families to pay homage to their ancestors.

Although the festival takes place in Phuket, a world-famous tourist destination, for hundreds of years, it is still unknown known to the public until today.

This photo story is part of my ongoing project to document endangered language and culture of the Moklens.

"Idun Awdah - An Unknown Indigenous Festival in Phuekt" in National Geographic Thailand

Athikhom Saengchai

Athikhom Saengchai

Athikhom Saengchai is a documentary photographer and writer based in Bangkok, Thailand. His works focus on endangered culture and marginalized ethnic minorities.