Pattaya Buddhist Lent celebration with traditional candle procession

The Nong Manao Community near Pattaya united to celebrate the upcoming Buddhist Lent with a traditional candle procession and offering ceremony.

The event took place on Tuesday, July 16 at 9am, involving villagers, teachers, and students from Wat Sukri Bunyaram School in Nong Manao, Village No. 8, Bang Lamung, Chon Buri.

The actual dates for Buddhist Lent will take place this weekend, with national religious holidays on Saturday and Sunday that will impose alcohol sales bans and close bars and nightlife venues for two days. Organisers arranged the event early to ensure student participation.

The procession featured long drum performances and a parade around the community and temple grounds. Participants carried rain bath cloth candle trees and ram cloth trees, which were offered to the monks at Wat Sukri Bunyaram. The event was a joyous occasion for Buddhists seeking to make merit and obtain blessings, said one of the organisers.

“The candle procession during Buddhist Lent is a cherished tradition passed down through generations.”

Offering candles for Buddhist Lent is considered an act of almsgiving that symbolises the light of wisdom. Preparations for the candle-casting ceremony begin around the 8th day of the waxing moon of the 8th lunar month, about one week before the start of Buddhist Lent. Once cast, the candles are presented to a temple as an offering to the Buddha, reported Pattaya News.

“Many Buddhists also use this period to abstain from bad habits, such as smoking or drinking alcohol, for the three months of Buddhist Lent. This practice promotes health and well-being.”

In related news, as Visakha Bucha Day approaches, Buddhists worldwide prepare to honour the birth, enlightenment, and attainment of complete Nibbana of the Lord Buddha according to tradition. This sacred day, steeped in tradition, sees millions making merit, observing religious precepts, and performing the evening ceremony of wian tian, where devotees walk around temple chapels in a candlelit procession, commemorating the Buddha’s purity, wisdom, and compassion.