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| Candle processions on Buddhist Lent Day |
History and origin of the Buddhist Lent Day. Buddhist Lent Day is one of the important days in Buddhism that follows Asanha Bucha Day.
This is the day when Theravada monks will pray that they will stay in one place for the duration of the rainy season for a period of 3 months as stipulated by the Dharma and Vinaya without having to stay overnight elsewhere.
The traditional Buddhist Lent ceremony starts on the first day of Buddhist Lent or Purim Phansa on the first waning day of the 8th lunar month, or if there are two 8th lunar days in any year, it is postponed to the first waning day of the 8th lunar month and the end of Buddhist Lent on the 15th day of the waxing moon. 11th month of every year
Today is a Buddhist Lent day, and then Thai Buddhists will go to the temple and make merit by offering food, flowers, and joss sticks, giving alms to monks, attending sermons, and participating in candle processions.
Thai people will usually offer the candle to the monks because they believe that the candlelight will light up their life. During Buddhist lent Day, Thai people will strictly make merit by offering food, and medicines and observing Buddhist ethics, especially on a holy day.
Buddhist Lent Day known in Thai as Khoa Phansa, traditionally falls on the first day of the waxing moon of the eighth lunar month. It takes place during raining season. Buddhist Lent Day takes 3 months, during this period monks and novices remain closeted in their monasteries, not spending nighttimes elsewhere.
However, if they have any necessary reason to stay away from their monasteries, they are required to return within seven days. In ancient times, while monks travel on pilgrimages during this rainy season, they could damage the corps. Then the Lord Buddha decreed to monks spend three months in their permanent dwelling to avoid damaging young plants.
Currently, on Buddhist Lent Day Thai people will have Candle Festivals, in which they molded and care for the candle with a beautiful gesture, then they celebrate the candle processions on Buddhist Lent Day each year. This festival is very famous in Northeastern Thailand.
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| The beautiful Candle processions at night |
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Making Merit B pay respect to the Buddha image
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