Buddhists have their
wrists wrapped in the auspicious “sai sin” to protect them from evil.
Temples throughout the greater Pattaya region were filled with Buddhists
making merit on Visakha Bucha Day - the triple occasion of the birth of
Buddha, the day of his enlightenment and his ascension to Nirvana.
Staff reporters
Friday night parties turned to reverence as Pattaya-area Buddhists
marked Visakha Bucha Day.
Believers flocked to Nongor, Bhodhisamphan, Naklua, Thamsamakkee,
Chaimongkol, and Khao Phra Yai temples to make merit on the triple
occasion of the birth of Buddha, the day of his enlightenment and his
ascension to Nirvana. Visakha Bucha Day is one of the three holiest days
on the Buddhist calendar.
Buddhists present
Sanghathan and other items to monks at Wat Chaiyamongkol.
Temple-goers dressed in white and lit incense and
candles while listening to sermons and presenting essentials to monks to
make merit.
Bars were closed throughout the area, frustrating non-Buddhist tourists
and venue owners ready for Friday night fun. Instead, people went to
places like Bhodhisamphan Temple in Naklua for the 6 p.m. “Wien Thien”
procession ceremony. Thirty students from the Redemptorist School for
the Blind attended, making the march despite their limited vision.
“I bring children out every year on any Buddhist religious days that
have Wien Thien ceremonies, as all are important,” said teacher
Khongphan Thupthim. “I believe that the children should participate in
the ceremonies to have an opportunity to be part of the society and the
children are more than happy to participate in the Wien Thien ceremony.”
At Wat Nongyai, citizens
purchase food to present as alms.
At Nongor Temple, monks led worshippers in prayer.
Afterward, the abbot led 200 people in a Wien Thien procession around a
large statue of the Lord Buddha.
With its downtown location, Chaimongkol Temple attracted the largest
crowds with parents, children and grandchildren tying string bracelets
for prosperity and applying gold leaf to a new Buddha statue.
Pattaya Ladies Development Group President Naowalak Khakhay presided
over the ceremony, which was also attended by Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome
and MP Poramet Ngampichet. Once complete, the Buddha will stand 2.1
meters tall, posing at an angle with a sword-like weapon in one hand and
a money bag in the other.
Faithful Buddhists offer
alms and make merit on Visakha Bucha Day at Wat Nongyai.
Followers perform the
Wien Thien ceremony around the Wat Bhodhisamphan temple hall.
Citizens light candles
and incense before the Wien Thien ceremony around the Bhodhisamphan
temple hall.
Children from the
Redemptorist School for the Blind chant their flowers presentation words
before the Wien Thien ceremony.
Provost Pravet
Thammawaro, abbot of Wat Nongyai, leads the monks and citizens in the
Wien Thien around Phra Phuttha Leela located in the middle of the temple
grounds.
Pattaya citizens and
guests perform the Wien Thien ceremony at Wat Nongor.
Bars throughout the
Kingdom readily close their services on this important day for Buddhism.
Folks attend the casting
of Lord Buddha’s statue, the head being cast in gold, at Wat
Chaiyamongkol.
