Thousands people born in under Chinese zodiacs considered unlucky in this Year of the Monkey flocked to Huay Yai Temple on New Year’s Day for a ceremony they hoped will turn their fortunes.
The worshippers born in the Chinese years of the monkey, tiger, snake and pig paid respects to Phra Khru Pattarakitwiboon, a famed monk in the eastern region and former abbot of the Huay Yai wat. They brought alms offerings, robes and Buddha figures to be blessed and to pray for life, death, and to receive holy water that would bring them good figure and prosperity.
It’s that time of year when people believing they have been born under an unlucky sign visit Wat Huay Yai for a ceremony they hope will turn their fortunes.
Rector Phra Athikarn and Abbot Sarawuth Jitpanyo said their exorcising prayers would do that and extend life. The “Bangsukul Pen – Bangsukul Tai” ceremony has been run for many years at Huay Yai Temple, where the late abbot’s body is still kept preserved in a glass case.
Bad luck can be lessened by donating medical supplies, medicine, or building a hospital. Exorcisms of bad luck can be achieved through merit-making, releasing nine climbing perches and a pair of turtles, or giving medicine offerings to a Buddhist monk.
The most unlucky zodiac this year is the tiger, which believers say will bring bad fortune to anyone born in 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998 and 2010.
The similarly unlucky years of the monkey, pig and snake affect those born in 1917, 1920, 1923, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1950, 1944, 1947, 1953, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1968, 1971, 1977, 1980, 1983, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2013.
