About 1,000 Mon migrant workers celebrated the 64th Mon National Day in Mahachai, Samut Sakhon Province, Thailand on February 19th, where a well-known Mon band played to accompany the ceremonies.

Nai Thai, an organizer of the Mahachai celebration said, “We celebrate Mon National Day to organize the Mon people to meet each other in one place and to let them remember our national day and enjoy the Mon music.”

The celebration included traditional Mon food, Mon dance, and Mon musical entertainment. Food donations to the Mon Buddhist monks took place at 8 am and concluded at 9:30 a.m.,” explained Nai Thai.

The Mon National Day committee in Mahachai invited Gita Mon, a band from Mon State to play during the ceremonies. Members of the band included Pamoukkha Chan, Lyi Kit, A Bon, Aie Son, Anaka, and Na Dee.

Tickets to watch Gita Mon were 100 baht each, and the money went toward the expense of putting on Mon National Day.

Pamoukkha Chan, from Gita Mon, said, “They [the audience] requested a lot of songs from me to sing. I am happy to see them [Mon people] and enjoy entertaining them.”

Gita Mon entertained on February 18th and 19th. Last year a different well-known Mon band came to the celebration in Mahachai.

An ethnic Mon migrant worker who has lived in Mahachai for 5 years, but is originally from Kyaikmayaw Township in Mon State, said, “When I listen to Mon songs I miss my parents and my village a lot.”

There are over 200,000 Burmese migrant workers in Mahachai and almost half include members of the Mon ethnic group from the southern part of Burma. Mahachai is 36 kilometers from Bangkok.

Though Thai authorities did not disturb the Mon National Day ceremonies this year, last year Thai authorities arrested many Mon migrant workers on their way back home from National Day.

In 2008, the new governor of Samut Sakhon Province restricted Mon National Day activities at the Ban Rai Charoenpol Temple in Samut Sakhon by blocking the entry into the temple.

Mon people celebrated their national day worldwide, commemorating the day when the first Mon kingdom, Hongsawatoi, was established in 1116 of the Buddhist Era, or 573 CE.

The Mon in Thailand, Burma, and Malaysia traditionally hold a two to three-day festival to mark Mon National Day.