The Thai national volleyball team conducted a ceremony in Nakorn Ratchasima to thank the spirit Lady Suranari for their championship.
The team secured a dramatic victory over the Japanese national team this weekend in the final of 2013 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship.
“As we left the hotel, every house that we drove past, there were people waving at us,” said the team’s captain, Wilavan ‘Gift’ Apinyapong, who is a Nakhon Ratchasima native. “I was really impressed, and it made me proud to be Thai, and more importantly, I made it in my own hometown”.
Prior to the matches, which saw the Thai team beating Vietnam and China, the team prayed to Lady Suranari, a semi-mythical heroine who is said to have rallied the local residents against Laotian raiders.
Wilavan and her teammates fulfilled their promise and walked the distance of 10 kilometers to Lady Suranari’s statue. Many fans had joined their pilgrimage, Khaosod reported.
