Wat Chaimongkol Temple Royal Monastery staged its annual Luang Po Buddhachaimongkol and the traditional Chinese “Tay Krachat” ceremony to give aid to the poor.
Lay chairman former Chonburi MP Chanyuth Hengtrakul inaugurated the festivities April 1 with lighting of candles to pay respect to the Triple Gems. Abbot Prarajasarn Sophon welcomed special guest Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet to the ceremony.
The “Tay Krachat” ceremony which is the act of giving charity saw the donation of 1,150 bags of necessities to poor people. The gifts were sponsored by the Gulati family and members of the temple congregation.
The devout gave donations to the temple by offering monk robes, buying coffins, donating to Buddhist images of their birth day and anointing Buddha images with gold leaf.
The event will continue through April 9 as a local temple fair with vendors selling food and drinks, clothing and souvenirs including merit-making booths and the gilding of the Luang Po Chaimongkol statue.
Thousands of residents and tourists are expected to attend the week-long festivities to make merit and have fun.
