Traditional Buddhist Lent held in Chonburi

Buddhist Lent, or the annual three-month rains retreat known in Thai as “Phansa”, dates back to the time of early Buddhism in ancient India, when all holy men, mendicants and sages spent three months of the annual rainy season in permanent dwellings.

The symbol of this ceremony is a beautifully decorated parade of a large candle, which is provided by each community. Many decorated candles were paraded and presented in this ceremony as part of contests held by several schools and communities. This attracted thousands of spectators along the entire route. The celebration is usually held on the same day and at same time all over the country. Senee said the celebration had changed and adapted every year in line with social progression, however it still relied on the same concepts of Buddhist rules.

Senee asked people not to concentrate solely on the candle contests also to pay attention to maintaining the heritage of the religious ceremony, and making merit.

Chonburi Culture Department official Mrs. Nipa Chiamkosit said this ceremony had benefited from the cooperation of several organizations in Chonburi, such as Chonburi Culture Department, Chonburi Municipality Office, and the Youth Buddhism Association under the patronage of the cardinal. This is the 53rd consecutive year that this ceremony has been held in Chonburi and is a valuable way in which traditions are passed down from one generation to the next.

Activities this year include a candle parade contest, which involved both government and private organizations. There were ten decorated candles in the parade, while six of them were submitted for the contest. Afterwards, the 371 candles were presented to every district’s representative and there was a 2,000-baht award for each organization and for the five winning prizes. In addition, 120 scholarships were presented to students in need.