Abstract:
The purposes of this research were 1) to study the Thai culture focused on the candle lights festival organization at the Ubon Ratchathani province from the past to present ; 2) to study the difference of the candle lights festival organization of both period ; 3) to study the roles and procedures of the key organizations in their presenting the festival, and 4) to study the communication impact towards the cultural change. A content analysis and an in depth interviews were used to collect the data under study. The findings were; 1) The candle festival organization at Ubon Ratchathani in the past was really a local culture. It was held for the purpose of dharma practice of the Buddhists, and to be a tool for the province governors in their administration; 2) The organizations which have the key roles in organizing the festival were the local administrative organizations; 3) Currently, the festival is held for the purpose of tourism. The organizations which have the key roles are still the provincial administrative organizations on behalf of different festival committees. 4) In presenting the festival, in the past, the organizations which had the key roles were families and temples. They were the influencial institutions in bringing the children to the dharma practice by using an interpersonal communication and through community leaders. Currently, the organizations which have the key roles are the public relations committees, the Ubon Ratchathani Province Public Relations Office, the Tourism Office at Ubon Ratchathani and the Local Administrative Office. They are senders and as a communication factor which impacts the cultural change from village and temple to province level for the merit of tourism promotion instead