Foreigners Join Thais to Celebrate Makha Bucha Day
A large number of foreign tourists and residents showed their solidarity with their Thai hosts and partners by joining them in the temples to celebrate Makha Bucha Day – one of the most important days in the religious calendar.
Pattaya, 18th February 2011[PDN. In the evening of Makha Bucha day, several buddhist temples in Pattaya were seen brightly lit with the candles of the thousands of buddhists who gathered to perform the ancient ceremony of Vientien in which the whole congregation and walk clockwise around the chapel with lighted candles and incense in hand in respect to Buddha and his teachings.
Particularly large crowds of Pattaya residents, both Thai and foreign, were joined by tourists at Wat Chaimongkhol in south Pattaya, the large temple situated in the centre of the city. As well as wishing for their own good fortune, one of the main wishes expressed was for the country’s peace.
Although there was major traffic congestion at most of the city’s bottlenecks, the entertainment zones remained remarkably quiet, many venues having closed their doors for the night giving their staff an opportunity to participate in the ceremony.
* Makha Bucha
It is an important Buddhist Holiday, falling on the full-moon day of the third lunar month. It is to commemorate the occasion when 1,250 disciples gathered spontaneously to hear the Buddha speak. In the evening of this merit-making day, the worshippers perform a candlelit procession around the temple.
Credit: Pattaya Daily News (www.pattayadailynews.com)
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