Death, Ritual and Consumption in Thailand: Insights from The Pee Ta Kohn Hungry Ghost Festival

A consequence of the precipitous rise of Asian economies in recent decades and, in particular, the emergence of China as a global economic power, has been increased research into Asian consumption (Fam et al., 2009). However, there are still relatively few studies that use qualitative methods (Eckhardt and Dholakia, 2013: Hackley and Hackley, 2013), and fewer still that focus on ritual. In this chapter we seek insights into Asian consumer culture by examining the ritual elements of a hungry ghost festival geld annually in Thailand, South East Asia.