Local and international tourists have been invited to join spectacular festivities to mark the end of the Buddhist Lent, known in Thai as Ok Phansa.
Ok Phansa Day usually falls on the full moon day of the 11th lunar month, which this year is on 8 October.
During the period of one month starting from Ok Phansa Day, Buddhist Thais will usually perform the merit-making of ‘Thot Kathin’. It has become a tradition to present monks with kathin robes upon the end of Buddhist Lent. Apart from the saffron robes, Buddhists also make offerings of food and other necessities to monks at various temples in the Thot Kathin rite.
In addition to the merit-making of “Thot Kathin”, there are also many other activities. The Ok Phansa festival 2014 is scheduled from now until October 16, with provinces nationwide celebrating the occasion on different days and in distinctive styles, depending on their localities and tradition.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, at least six provinces in the Northeast have announced that their celebrations to mark the Ok Phansa festival will be the biggest ever. These provinces include Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Loei, and Chaiyaphum. They are all known for their distinctive cultures and traditions.
