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Flower power marks end of Buddhist Lent
published : 2 Oct 2019 at 04:00
newspaper section: Life
Flowers for Buddha… Devotees throw lotuses onto a barge carrying traditional decorations during an annual festival on the Sam Rong canal in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan. (File photo)
To mark the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli Municipality will host the annual Rab Bua (Lotus Receiving) festival on the morning of Oct 12.
The festival dates back many decades when people still commuted by boat along Samrong Canal to pay respect to the sacred Luang Phor To Buddha image in Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai. At that time, there were lotus fields along the waterway in Bang Phli that were in full bloom during the month of October. When locals went to the temple to make merit, especially on the day of Wan Oak Phansa, or the end of Buddhist Lent Day, they picked flowers to offer the image.
People from nearby communities including the Muang and Phra Pradaeng districts and from other places also visited the temple to make merit. They too paddled their boats along the Samrong Canal and collected the finest lotus flowers to offer the Luang Phor To Buddha image at the end of Buddhist Lent.
Those who lived along the canal also showed their hospitality by picking lotuses and giving them to visitors along with food and drink. The giving of lotus flowers was believed to be the start of the modern-day Rab Bua festival. The event has recently been promoted as the only lotus-receiving ceremony along the waterway in the Kingdom.
The festival will be hosted for 84th time this year. To celebrate, Wat Bang Phi Yai Nai and Bang Phli Municipality will host a nine-day temple fair running from Friday to Oct 14.
The highlight will be the morning of Oct 12, when a barge carrying a replica of the Luang Pho To seated Buddha image will cruise along the canal from Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai to Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang.
The event will start around 7am and last until 11am. Each year the festival draws thousands of devotees. The crowd will stand along each side of the canal offering lotuses to the image by tossing them onto the barge. There will also be a boat parade joining the Rab Bua event.
Thank you
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1763099/flower-power-marks-end-of-buddhist-lent
published : 2 Oct 2019 at 04:00
newspaper section: Life
Flowers for Buddha… Devotees throw lotuses onto a barge carrying traditional decorations during an annual festival on the Sam Rong canal in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan. (File photo)
To mark the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent, Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli Municipality will host the annual Rab Bua (Lotus Receiving) festival on the morning of Oct 12.
The festival dates back many decades when people still commuted by boat along Samrong Canal to pay respect to the sacred Luang Phor To Buddha image in Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai. At that time, there were lotus fields along the waterway in Bang Phli that were in full bloom during the month of October. When locals went to the temple to make merit, especially on the day of Wan Oak Phansa, or the end of Buddhist Lent Day, they picked flowers to offer the image.
People from nearby communities including the Muang and Phra Pradaeng districts and from other places also visited the temple to make merit. They too paddled their boats along the Samrong Canal and collected the finest lotus flowers to offer the Luang Phor To Buddha image at the end of Buddhist Lent.
Those who lived along the canal also showed their hospitality by picking lotuses and giving them to visitors along with food and drink. The giving of lotus flowers was believed to be the start of the modern-day Rab Bua festival. The event has recently been promoted as the only lotus-receiving ceremony along the waterway in the Kingdom.
The festival will be hosted for 84th time this year. To celebrate, Wat Bang Phi Yai Nai and Bang Phli Municipality will host a nine-day temple fair running from Friday to Oct 14.
The highlight will be the morning of Oct 12, when a barge carrying a replica of the Luang Pho To seated Buddha image will cruise along the canal from Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai to Wat Bang Phli Yai Klang.
The event will start around 7am and last until 11am. Each year the festival draws thousands of devotees. The crowd will stand along each side of the canal offering lotuses to the image by tossing them onto the barge. There will also be a boat parade joining the Rab Bua event.
Thank you
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1763099/flower-power-marks-end-of-buddhist-lent