The Four Buddhist Holidays in Thailand
Magha Puja
Below I describe the four Buddhist holidays. They fall on a full moon day in the lunar month as indicated below; just like Easter every year a different day.
The names of these days come from Sanskrit and indicate the respective lunar month. All these days are days off. If they fall on a Saturday or Sunday, Monday is an alternative day off.
The Buddhist calendar also has the holy day wan phá, a kind of Buddhist Sunday, falling on the day of the full moon, the first quarter, the last quarter and the new moon. In the early morning you often see older women going up to the temple with their gifts. It has been proposed to promote temple attendance wan phra always fall on a Sunday.
Thailand is a bit like Italy and Spain: everyone says they are Buddhist but the temple is only entered and monks are invited on very special occasions. I rarely see young people in a temple, except as tourists. Many young people (and some older people) do not know the meaning of the parties below.
Occasions and celebrations such as a wedding, a cremation or Songkran are not Buddhist but purely secular, secular events where monks only come to offer prayers and blessings. Buddhism is interested in good behavior of people towards each other, but how they conduct their affairs is not so important.
Sexual (and all other) excesses are frowned upon, but otherwise sexual orientation is hardly important. Monks just as easily bless gay marriages, and a traditional Thai wedding in front of the community is accepted without monks.
1 Magha Puja
วัน มาฆ บูชา (phonetic and pronunciation: wanmaakhá boe:chaa). Meaning: 'wan' day; 'maakhá is Sanskrit: the third lunar month; 'boe:chaa' (to) honor, celebrate). Usually if Magha Puja day written. This day is celebrated on March 01, 2018.
Meaning of this day
The Buddhist scriptures mention that on this day 1250 monks from all over the world gathered on their own initiative and without invitation at the Veluwan Vihara (temple) in Rajgaham, the capital of the Magaha kingdom. All of them were Arahants, enlightened monks, one stage before Buddhahood. They were all initiated by the Buddha himself at the time. The Buddha gave a sermon in the evening in which he again explained the principles of his Teachings. He then summarized it as, "Do good, avoid evil, and purify your mind."
Visakha Puja (Cablebaby / Shutterstock.com)
2 Visakha Puja
วัน วิสาข บูชา (phonetic: wan wíesǎakhà boe:chaa). Wíesǎakhá is the sixth lunar month. Usually if Visakha Puja (or Vesak) day written. In 2018 that is on Tuesday 29 May.
Meaning of this day
This is perhaps the most important day in the Buddhist calendar. On this day the birth of the Buddha, his (proclamation of the) Teachings and his death are celebrated.
Devout Buddhists go to the temple in the early morning with gifts and take part in a number of religious ceremonies. Monks preach and recite the sayings of the Buddha.
In the evening there is a procession in which the faithful walk around the temple three times with flowers in their hands, three incense sticks (they represent the Buddha, his teachings and monasticism) and a burning candle.
Members of the royal family often participate in these festivities such as at the grand chedi at Nakhorn Pathom.
3 Asanha Puja
วัน อาสาฬหบูชา (phonetic: wan aasǎanhà boe:chaa), Aasǎanhà is the eighth lunar month. Usually written as Asana Puja day. In 2018 this is Friday 27 July (date may vary).
Meaning of this day
This day commemorates the Buddha's first sermon just after his Enlightenment. She was heard by his first five disciples. He explained the four Noble Truths:
- the inevitability of suffering (perhaps better expressed as the essential imperfection of existence)
- this suffering arises from desire and attachment
- it is indeed possible to escape suffering
- this is possible by following the Eightfold Path that leads to that Enlightenment.
That Eightfold Path consists of right understanding, right intention, right words, right actions, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Also on this day there are festivities and ceremonies in the temples.
Khâo Phansǎa (Film photo / Shutterstock.com)
4 Khâo Phansǎa
วัน เข้า พรรษา (phonetic: wan khâow phansǎa). In Thailand Khâo Phansǎa or in short Phansǎa named. In Pali it is Vasa, you also hear this sometimes. This day falls on the day after Asana Puja on Saturday, July 28.
Meaning of this day
This day marks the beginning of the three lunar month rain retreat, incorrectly called 'Buddhist Lent' in English.
The legends say that the farmers complained to the Buddha that the monks were trampling on the newly planted crop. This was back in the days when the monks were constantly moving around and talking to everyone. The Buddha then prescribed that the monks should stay in a temple during that time. Only essential travel was allowed. Today, the monks always reside in the temple.
Also on this day there are processions with burning candles. The monks are expected to devote themselves intensively to meditation during this time. Laymen often take a vow not to eat meat or drink alcohol during these three lunar months. Culture sensitive foreigners understand this.
Addendum
There is a fifth holiday that I missed: Ohk Phansǎa. Not a real Buddhist festival, but it is celebrated in Thailand.
วัน ออกพรรษา (phonetic: wan òohk phansǎa). This day falls three lunar months after Khâo Phansǎa, in the eleventh lunar month. It is celebrated exuberantly, especially in Isan. Around this holiday there is often the kathin ceremony (Thai: กฐิน) in which the monks are presented with new robes. (Thanks to Frans de Beer).
Thanks Cornelis, has been corrected.
Editors: I supplied completely different data, something must have gone wrong?
We have not received any data, can you send it again?
Data was in first message, but in the meantime it is correct I see.
A clear piece with a few features that also occur in the Netherlands.
Ask young people in the Netherlands what Pentecost and Ascension Day mean?
Just a few days off!
Due to unfamiliarity with the Bible, a piece of Ned also disappears. culture.
Eg In a painting where a young woman carries someone's head on a tray or where an officer tries to lift a baby, which he holds up by striking it in the middle with his sword! What is it about.
Several European artists have depicted this.
I doubt that a same-sex marriage would be blessed by a monk without any problems.
But there is also a very great “elasticity” among the monks, simple people who scurry around on their bare feet to become “jet-set” flying monks.
Lodewijk, I have to correct myself again. It is not the monks who consecrate the traditional marriage, but the community led by some 'elders' who do so. The monks then bless the couple.
How Buddhism thinks about homosexuality is seen very differently. The Buddha himself never spoke of it, he just thought that sexual relations should be fair, equal and sincere. Thai monasticism has its own opinion that has little to do with Buddhism but more with 'Thainess' in general. You are right that monks speak about this very hesitantly if not disapprovingly.
But I once read a story about a same-sex marriage that did involve monks. Not all monks think alike. happy.
Another small correction. I see that Magha Puja (aka Makha Bucha) day is not celebrated on Saturday March 31 but on Thursday March 1 in Thailand.
https://www.officeholidays.com/countries/thailand/index.php
The remark that young people are rarely seen in a temple surprises me somewhat. Many of the ladies I know from Pattaya definitely go to the temple regularly and often even for several days as 'nuns', if I can call it that in Buddhism.
Maybe it's the definition of 'younger'. I think everyone who is not as old as me is already a 'younger'…
The photos and selfies all end up neatly on Facebook, but not everyone with a smartphone at the ready is of course a tourist by definition. Although I will not deny that the day trips certainly have something of a pleasant outing - often a group of colleagues go together - in my perhaps naive experience that does not have to get in the way of the objective of the activity. A beautiful religion or a beautiful way of life can and should not be experienced with joy and a little fun, right? In my opinion, Calvinism does not need to be spread further.
I don't know Tino, I'm a layman in this field, but I still have other days in my agenda.
1. Magha Puja in my calendar on Thursday 01 March 2018
2. Visakha Bucha (Vesak day) on Tuesday, May 29
3. Asanha Puha, Friday, July 27 (similar to the date you specify)
4. Buddhist Lent Day, Saturday, July 28
5. End of Buddhist Lent Day, Wednesday, October 24
Can you double check 1. and 2. in particular?
It's a repeated posting and I've edited dates. All are subject to change as the phase of the moon will determine the final date.
These are the days set for 2018. That's how they are on the calendars and in the Thai diaries
Nice to know. Thank you for the explanation, Tino.
Is April 8 correct? If March 31 starts the 3rd lunar month, I don't think the 6th starts a week later (apart from the fact that April 8 is not a full moon). The 6th would then start on June 28, but that rubs again with the 8th, which should start on July 27. If I count full moons, the 3rd full moon in 2018 has been on March 2. The 6th is then on May 29th. Maybe you missed the 2nd full moon of this year because it was eclipsed 😉 (or maybe I'm wrong: I don't understand anything at all)
Look at Leo Bossink's reaction, and forget all the others.
When I wrote this, all those other comments were not yet visible. After I clicked "send". But then I couldn't stop posting. It was nice to be off the street for a while 🙂
Below is a link to a handy site on which all kinds of holidays are listed, including the social consequences (barclosure?). The importance of the days mentioned in the article is shown by the fact that these are the only days on which the bars are definitely drained without any reservations.
.
http://www.boomboomme.com/resources/holidays/thailand/
(Sorry for the name of the website)
Although Khao and Oohk Pansa are important Buddhist days, they are not obligatory days off. Rather, they are important events for monks and temples. Asanha, the day before Khao Pansa, on the other hand, is a day off, so is Wan Makha and Wan Visa, which are all 3 important events for all Buddhists.
Here are all national holidays in Thailand in 2022 ( 2565 in the Thai system):
https://www.thaizer.com/public-holidays-in-thailand-2022/
It's nice that Thailand has so many days off!
The Buddhist Holidays:
Magha Puja Wednesday, February 16
Visakha Puja Sunday May 15, extra day off Monday May 16
Asanha Puja Wednesday, July 13
Khao Phansaa Thursday July 14, an extra day off on Friday July 15
I prefer to look at the Bank of Thailand messages.
https://www.bot.or.th/English/FinancialInstitutions/FIholiday/Pages/2022.aspx
Usually it is about 15-17 days plus at least 6 days vacation. In total, more than 5 weeks of vacation and on top of that, special days due to death or other personal circumstances.
Everything is not so badly arranged, but then one has to choose the way to the registered business community.
It's just a pity that the paid (holiday) days consist almost entirely of separate days. So a few weeks on paid vacation is not possible (if you could afford it at all), at most a long weekend. The 6 paid vacation days per year are used by most people to visit the family during the New Year and Songkran.
That's life in TH right?
A week with family costs a Thai who works in Bangkok, for example, clawing with money. Twice a year is more than enough to know that you are better off in Bangkok or any other major city than in your native village. Those loose days where the days in the weekend are shifted to Monday, something that is completely unknown in NL, ensure long weekends. In addition, there is also guidance from the government to designate extra days so that there are 5 paid days off. All nice and kind for the people who manage to escape the life of real poverty.
You're absolutely right, Johnny! Five free paid days is great! One day to travel to your hometown, one day to come back and then you have three days of vacation! Such is life in Thailand.
Except that Thailand - outside the civil service - usually has 6 working days in a week.
Tino, you also have to put the number of days off in perspective.
Many Thais work 6 days a week (many of them even 7 days). And it's not 8 hours a day. Working overtime to get a decent monthly wage, that is the harsh reality for most Thais. Then they can have a few days off from me.
On the other hand, the statutory retirement age is not 67 as it is here. But yes, many Thai employees still have to continue working after their retirement out of sheer necessity.
'It's great that Thailand has so many days off!'
Was some sarcasm, Kris. see my earlier post
https://www.thailandblog.nl/stelling-van-de-week/thais-werken-uren/