Thai citizens swarm truck shop owner’s son’s ordination for chance to win over US$11,000

Crowds of Thai citizens gathered at the ordination ceremony of a prominent truck body shop owner’s son, hoping to win a cash prize exceeding US$11,000 (372,000 baht).

Naka, short for Warapol Pensri, is 20 years old and the son of a major truck body shop business in Thailand. The ordination ceremony took place at their residence, followed by a traditional parade of the soon-to-be monk, accompanied by heavenly angels and a festive atmosphere.

Somboon Pensri and Titrat Praipraprat, the parents of the soon-to-be monk, had spent a considerable amount of money on the event, in addition to hiring an experienced organiser to plan the ceremony. Following Buddhist customs, a renowned team of singers performed auspicious songs, entertaining the hundreds of Thai citizens who had travelled from across the country.

The ordination ceremony’s procession was led by a 22-wheeler truck carrying the young novice monk, accompanied by 20 heavenly angels, and followed by an 18-wheeler truck adorned with various symbols of good fortune. The parade then headed towards Amornayana temple in the Damnoen Saduak district to finalise the ordination ceremony.

Many Thai citizens from other provinces joined the event, hoping for a chance to catch a piece of the more than US$11,000 in banknotes that were being showered during the event. Some even hoped to get a glimpse of the gold necklaces that were announced as additional prizes. The festive atmosphere was only amplified when the host, the father of the ordination candidate, used a crane to shower 40,000 banknotes of different denominations on the excited attendees below.

Amid the cheerful crowd of Thai citizens that had gathered beneath the falling banknotes, numerous people excitedly seized the 1,000 baht bills marked with the SSB stamp, indicating that they had won one of the gold necklaces. One of these lucky winners was the 37 year old garden owner Jutathip, who managed to get hold of the impressive prize.

After the cash shower ended and once the ordination ceremony concluded, the newly-ordained priest was escorted to the family home where more celebrations took place. To mark the occasion, the generous family also distributed sacks of rice weighing 5 kilograms each to impoverished people in the community.

Despite the joyful atmosphere, the reality of the event did not escape attention. Unemployment, poverty and wealth distribution issues continue to plague countries worldwide, and this extravagant display was a stark reminder of the contrast in fortunes that exists within the world today.