BANGKOK, 25 May 2015 – The Department of Religious Affairs has invited Buddhists in Thailand to perform good deeds and wear white clothes on their visit to nearby temples on the occasion of Visakha Puja Day and Atthamee Puja Day 2015.
Minister of Culture Weera Rotephotchanarat said that the invitation is part of the Buddhism Promotion Week Festival which aims to make young Buddhists understand the five precepts of Lord Buddha and cherish them in their everyday life.
The Buddhism Promotion Week is to be held nationwide under the cooperation of the Religious Affairs Department and Buddhist networks during 29 May to 9 June 2015. A great amount of leaflets written in Thai, English and Chinese languages have been published to invite Buddhists both Thai and other nationals to the event.
In Bangkok, the event will take place at Sanam Luang in front of the Grand Palace. It encompasses various activities such as moral education for youths, mass chanting competition, exhibition on ethical communities, meditation, food offering to monks, Buddhist sermons, and candlelight procession.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) has also joined the Buddhism Promotion Week by holding a “9 Temples 9 Kings Bus Tour” activity whereas the Bangkok National Museum is to open for the public to pay homage to important Buddha statues.
In other provinces, the Department of Religious Affairs has cooperated with its provincial branches and Provincial Ecclesiastical Officials especially provinces sharing border with neighboring countries to jointly hold such an event during the week-long celebration. Household leaders have been encouraged to decorate their home with national flag alongside the Buddhist flag of “Dharmachakra”.
