Bangkok hosts Lim Ko Niao spiritual event for devotees
Bangkok’s Po Teck Tung Foundation currently hosts a revered spiritual event, inviting devotees to venerate the goddess Lim Ko Niao from Hat Yai. The event at the foundation’s headquarters in Plabplachai is a collaborative effort with the Samakkhi Mitrapap Foundation (Thung Siang Tung) from Hat Yai. It runs from March 10 to 13 corresponding to the Western calendar.
On Sunday, March 10, the procession bearing the goddess’s image arrived in Bangkok, passing through Odeon Circle and along Yaowarat and Charoen Krung roads to reach the Po Teck Tung Foundation at approximately 6pm. The foundation welcomed worshippers from 6.30am to 9pm on March 11 and 12, and on Wednesday, March 13, at 6.30pm, a ceremony will send the goddess back to Hat Yai.
Lim Ko Niao is well-known among the Chinese and Thai communities in Pattani province. The annual celebration of the goddess coincides with the full moon of the third lunar month, a significant event in the Thai lunar calendar.
Devotees can pay their respects at the Leng Chu Kiang shrine on Anoru Road in Pattani, where a replica of the goddess is enshrined. The shrine and the goddess’s tomb have become places where countless wishes have reportedly been fulfilled, attracting people from all directions, especially from the end of the Chinese New Year to the second lunar month.
The Po Teck Tung Foundation, in partnership with the Samakkhi Mitrapap Foundation, has brought a replica of the goddess from Hat Yai to Bangkok, providing an opportunity for those in the capital and nearby areas who cannot travel to Pattani or Songkhla to worship the deity. During the event, devotees offer traditional items such as paper effigies, incense, and candles, and particularly favour red cloths and pearl necklaces.
It is customary to hang the necklaces in the goddess’s image and take one back home for good fortune. The foundation has ensured the availability of these offerings, including pearl necklaces, garlands, auspicious sweets, and paper sets with incense and candles, for the convenience of those attending the ceremony. Further information is available through the Po Teck Tung hotline at 1418 or on their Facebook fan page.
This cultural exchange and religious devotion highlight the interwoven nature of Thai and Chinese cultural practices, demonstrating the spiritual harmony and respect for tradition that permeates Thai society. As the foundation facilitates this significant religious event, it emphasizes the importance of cultural preservation and the role such ceremonies play in maintaining the social fabric of Thailand’s diverse communities, reported KhaoSod.
