Thailand

Today is Asanha Bucha Day – Why is the day special for Thai Buddhists?

Published

10 months ago

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Today is Asanha Bucha Day – Why is the day special for Thai Buddhists? | Thaiger

Asanha Bucha Day is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand marking the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon and the lunar months, but is usually held in July or August each year. In 2020 it falls on July 5. Today is also the start of the period of Buddhist Lent.

A moon that is waxing is one that is getting larger each night, between the new moon and full moon phase.

Because this years’ Asanha Bucha Day falls on a weekend day, Monday, July 6 has been named as a public holiday across Thailand. There is also an alcohol ban that lasts until midnight on Monday night.

The Buddha preached his first sermon at a deer park and from this sermon the Dharma (doctrine) of the Buddha was symbolised as a wheel. The Dharmachakra is also known as the Wheel of Life, Wheel of Law or Wheel of Doctrine and can be seen on flags in temples and buildings all across Thailand. Similarly, pictures or models of deer can often be seen at temples or in depictions of the Buddha.

Like many other Buddhist festivals and holidays, Asahna Bucha (also written as Asalha Puja and other English equivalents) is a day when Thai Buddhists will make merit and visit the local wat. Traditionally, candles are amongst the items donated to the wat for Asahna Bucha and processions featuring candles are held at various towns in Thailand.

The tradition dates back to the times before electricity where extra light was needed at the temple during the darker days of the rainy season. Local people will also ‘wian tian’ which involves walking around the wat with a lit candle, lotus flowers and incense. The day after Asahna Bucha is another significant day with Wan Khao Phansa marking the start of the three-month ‘Phansa’ period which is sometimes referred to as ‘Buddhist Lent’.

Today is Asanha Bucha Day - Why is the day special for Thai Buddhists? | News by Thaiger

PHOTO: Pinterest

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2 Comments

Brian

Sunday, July 5, 2020 at 9:42 am

In case it helps anyone else, I just found out Benares seems to be more frequently referred to as Varanasi.

Reply
Garry

Tuesday, July 7, 2020 at 3:46 pm

The only and very “special” thing is
it’s holiday

Reply

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Burmese students to hold Bangkok cultural event to support Civil Disobedience Movement

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4 days ago

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

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Burmese students to hold Bangkok cultural event to support Civil Disobedience Movement | Thaiger

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Burmese students in Thailand are holding an art and culture concert to raise awareness and funds for the Civil Disobedience Movement. The concert, called “Myanmar Spring,” will be held on April 24 at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The event will help fund the movement, which has staged protests over the February 1 coup in Myanmar by the military. It will honour the families of internally displaced individuals and of those who have lost their lives in the conflicts.

Last Friday, the Myanmar military allegedly killed 82 civilians, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an advocacy group. The military then told the families of those killed that they would have to pay US$85 to recover their loved ones’ bodies, according to Bago University Students’ Union’s Facebook page as well as Radio Free Asia’s Burmese service.

Eyewitnesses in Bago say the Burmese military used grenades, RPGs, and assault rifles to quell anti-coup protestors, forcing many villagers and activists to flee and go into hiding. Military security forces are going through the neighbourhoods now and have cut off internet access. Since the February 1 coup, the military has been systematically cracking down against peaceful protesters, detaining 3,000 civilians and killing over 700 more.

NGO Human Rights Watch had published a call for the EU to take action and implement strict sanctions on the Burmese military on Thursday. And yesterday the US Embassy in Myanmar joined the call, posting on Twitter, urging peace.

The art and cultural event will also be held virtually on the same day. Anyone wishing to support the event outside of attending can buy t-shirts at the food festival being held on April 13. The orchestral music concert will be performed by a group of student volunteers and others. There will also be a poetry recital and other heartfelt performances, which the artists say will reflect the struggles for democracy in Myanmar.

Information on tickets and performances for “Myanmar Spring” is on their Facebook page HERE.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World

Thailand

Giant monitor lizard visits Thai 7 Eleven store, video goes viral

Published

1 week ago

Friday, April 9, 2021

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Giant monitor lizard visits Thai 7 Eleven store, video goes viral | Thaiger

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A giant, nearly 2 metre long, monitor lizard decided to visit a 7 Eleven store looking for food, with customers and staff wondering what he (or she) was going to do next. The lizard climbed up a fully stacked shelf of dairy products, with apparently no cares in the world, as he clumsily knocked off cartons of milk and other packages. At the top, he appeared to stop for a rest. After all, that was a big climb for a 2 metre monitor lizard.

Witnesses say he came from a nearby canal on the outskirts of Bangkok, in which it’s speculated he probably struggled to find food outside due to months of dry weather that has led to lakes and canals drying up. Police were called and with them, they brought reptile handlers to catch the lizard and escort him outside. The video of the incident has gone viral worldwide, and can be watched HERE.

Noting from Culture Trip, monitor lizards will generally run away from people. They do not prey on humans but will defend themselves if threatened. They can make an intimidating hissing noise and often lash with their tail to protect themselves. Their claws and teeth can also inflict nasty injuries, which are prone to infection.”

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Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee

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2 weeks ago

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

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A band member from Bangkok who attended three ‘Kolour’ party events in Phuket over the weekend has tested positive for Covid-19. The main Kolour Beachside Main Event was held at Cafe Del Mar, along Kamala’s foreshore. Other pre and post event parties were also held at Shelter and Illuzion, both in Bangla Road, Phuket.

The promoters Kolour Beachside have a published Covid-19 policy on their website.

Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee | News by Thaiger The promoters sent out this letter today…

Thank you for joining us last weekend in Phuket at Kolour Beachside Pre-Party at Shelter April 2nd, Kolour Beachside Main Event at Cafe Del Mar Phuket April 3rd and Kolour Beachside After Party at Shelter and Illuzion April 3rd.

We have received enquiries from our guests ever since the news announced about a new wave that occurred in the Bangkok nightlife area.

We have been notified directly from one attendee that they tested positive for Covid 19 on April6th. The guest visited all 3 Kolour events in the past weekend. The guest also informed us that they attended one of the Bangkok clubs that has reports of a cluster before they arrived at our events and suspect this is the origin.

In light of this, we suggest all guests monitor their condition and, if in doubt, always put safety first by considering self-quarantine.

We are working with the appropriate authorities and will provide updates on a regular basis.

Please be aware of false rumours circulating around this situation and that we will only share verified information from sources on our channels.

Please follow to stay updated.

If you have any concerns or if you have any information that might be important around this, please email us directly at safety@wearekolour.com

Best, Kolour team

Laguna Phuket have postponed the Revive 555 Festival events following today’s revelations. It appears that the band member contracted the coronavirus as part of the current cluster of infections recorded around Bangkok’s nightlife in the past few days. Some photos shared with The Thaiger of the Cafe Del Mar event show very little mask wearing at the Kolour Beachside Party.

Weekend party event in Phuket reports positive Covid attendee | News by Thaiger