lkui.umsida.ac.id — A warm and family-like atmosphere enveloped the Krong Pinang area, Yala Province, on Thursday (16/7). Hundreds of residents, teachers, and community leaders gathered at the local school complex to enliven the Ashura Project (an Islamic New Year cultural festival), as well as the 5th Banchan (บูดายอบ้านฉัน) Cultural Gathering for the 2026 Academic Year.
The term “Banchan” itself in the Thai language carries a very deep meaning, which is “My Home”. This annual event is a main venue for the community to strengthen ties, preserve local traditions, and share blessings through the warmth of regional culinary specialties, rather than just a regular cultural exhibition.
Since dawn, the school area already appeared bustling. Participants, including university students who were running a community service program in the region, looked enthusiastic preparing various exhibition stalls. One of the most attention-grabbing was the students’ hydroponic farming stall, which displayed rows of fresh vegetables such as crispy lettuce, green mustard greens, and water spinach without soil media.
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The most memorable moment occurred when the Vice Regional Chairman of Yala, accompanied by a number of local officials, took the time to walk around reviewing the exhibition stalls. As soon as he arrived at the hydroponic stall, he seemed impressed and stopped for a moment to observe the plant installation growing fertilely and lush green in the middle of the event area. “Agricultural innovations like this are very good to be developed by the younger generation, especially amidst land limitations. The plants look fresh and clean,” praised the Vice Regional Chairman of Yala while interacting directly with the stall managers.
The presence of the regional official was enthusiastically welcomed by local residents. Mak Da, one of the local residents who was also at the location, admitted to feeling proud to see the local youth’s stall receive direct attention from the regional leader. “MashaAllah, so happy to see our official come down directly to appreciate the work of young people. These hydroponic vegetables are indeed very fertile, good if made into ulam (raw vegetable salad) or soup mixture,” said Mak Da.
The official event was previously opened with a lively sequence of activities, starting from a bilingual opening by the master of ceremonies, recitation of the holy verses of the Al-Qur’an, to remarks from institutional leaders and community figures. After the formal session, invited guests and officials were immediately presented with various cultural exhibitions and a culinary festival.
The main star in this Asyura Day celebration was the making of Asyura Porridge. Residents worked hand in hand cooking the porridge using giant woks, taking turns stirring the spice-rich batter. The distinctive aroma of the porridge blended with various traditional Southern Thai cakes served free of charge.
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Bang Khali, one of the local committee members, expressed his pride over the success of this year’s event. According to him, the main spirit of Banchan culture is togetherness without barriers. “We are very grateful this event was attended directly by the Vice Regional Chairman of Yala and welcomed enthusiastically by the residents. In fact, the hydroponic vegetables exhibited earlier were completely sold out as they were distributed to visitors who wanted to taste the fresh harvest,” expressed Bang Khali.
Approaching the evening, the festivities were closed with cultural art performances by the students, a group photo session, and the presentation of awards. This event proved once again that through the spirit of mutual cooperation and innovation, the community in Krong Pinang, Yala, always weaves togetherness just like one big family.
Writer: Aditya Fajar S
