Makha Bucha is one of the key religious festivals for Buddhists and is celebrated in neighbouring countries as well as Thailand. It honours the mass ordination of 1,250 disciples by the Lord Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. The ceremony took place on the third lunar month’s full moon and this system is still used to define the date of Makha Bucha today.
Makha Bucha is strictly a religious occasion and is not marked with the festivities and revelry associated with the traditional Lanna New Year Festival in April. Thai Buddhists typically start the day with a visit to their local temple to offer alms to monks.
In the evenings, it is back to the temple to listen to sermons and then perform a rite known as wien tein. This requires celebrants to walk around the temple buildings holding lit candles and flowers.
Buddhists are supposed to abstain from alcohol and other vices on Makha Bucha day. This means bars in cities and holiday resorts are prohibited from selling alcohol. Our Pinterest image shows a Makha Bucha ceremony at Bangkok’s Dhammakaya Temple.
Banks and government offices to close for Makha Bucha Day
News in Asia
Thailand celebrates Makha Bucha Day on Monday. As it is marked by a public holiday all banks and government offices will be closed. The closure does not apply to exchange booths operated by the different banks in major tourist destinations or immigration checkpoints on the nation’s borders with Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.