New year’s eve chanting ceremony at Ayutthaya’s Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon temple
On December 31, Buddhist devotees convened at the significant Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon temple in Ayutthaya province for the annual New Year’s Eve chanting ceremony. The evening event included meditation and listening to Dhamma preaching, culminating in the chanting of Buddhist mantras to usher in the New Year.
The attendees, dressed in white, came as families and young individuals. The temple arranged the chanting ceremony around the historic Chai Mongkhon Pagoda, constructed after King Naresuan’s victorious battle and named for the auspicious victory it represents. This arrangement was to invite prosperity for the forthcoming New Year.
In addition to the ceremony at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon, over 500 temples across Ayutthaya province hosted similar New Year’s Eve chanting ceremonies, reported Khao Sod. Devotees flocked to these temples to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new one in a distinctly Thai tradition. These events were marked by a serene and joyous atmosphere, epitomising merit-making in its purest form.
Everyone came in white, as families and young individuals, to participate in the ceremony. The temple, along with more than 500 others across Ayutthaya, offers this peaceful and joyous event as a way to send off the old year and welcome the new one in a distinctly Thai way.
The ceremony is conducted around the Chai Mongkhon Pagoda, a historical monument built after King Naresuan’s victorious battle, symbolising auspicious victory. Holding the ceremony here is a way of inviting prosperity for the upcoming New Year.
This annual event, steeped in tradition and filled with serene rituals, provides a unique insight into Thailand’s cultural fabric, specifically its Buddhist practices and beliefs. As the New Year begins, these ceremonies, whether at Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon or other temples across Ayutthaya, continue to serve as a beacon of peace, tranquillity, and communal unity.
