Thailand Land of Smiles» Thailand Holidays

Chulalongkorn Day in Thailand

Talen — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:01:23 +0000

Today is Chulalongkorn Day in Thailand. A celebration of the life of King Chulalongkorn, also known as King Rama V. October 23 marks the day of his death.

Most westerners will recognize King Chulalongkorn as the boy king depicted in the movie and musical The King and I.

King Chulalongkorn is one of Thailand’s most revered and important kings. During his reign from 1868 to 1910 he brought many reforms to Thailand that helped to modernize the country.

Born on September 20, 1853 he ascended the throne in 1868 at the age of 15 and reigned for 42 years until his death in 1910.

Ushering in a new age for Thailand he was very interested in the West and learned much of the western governments and politics while extending friendship to such countries as America, Great Britain, France, and Russia. King Chulalongkorn was the first Thai King to travel extensively, visiting neighboring countries often and Europe two times.

Of his many reforms while King the most important was the abolition of slavery. As he took the throne over 1/3 of the Thai population at the time were slaves. Slavery was for life and the children of slaves were also slaves which kept the slave population growing.

A Thai could buy their way out of slavery but the price was excessive and for the most part beyond the slaves means to pay, making them a slave for life.

On August 21st 1874 King Chulalongkorn issued the Royal Slave Ablation Act which was the beginning of the end for slavery in Thailand. The act allowed for children born of slaves in or after 1868, the year of his coronation, had the right to reduce their slave price every year and by the time they were 21 if they had not already bought their freedom they would be freed. The Act also fixed the price of a slave to be half as much as it was originally. All other slaves were to have their debt lowered to 1 baht a month until they had their freedom.

The act sought to prohibit children being born into slavery and slave trading in general.

Among his other accomplishments King Chulalongkorn established a much broader political system of ministries, expanded the national railway system, established mail and telegraph services, and Began a system of public utilities with emphasis on education and health.

King Chulaongkorn is one of the most honored Thai kings to ever live. His picture can be found in every Thai house and it is widely belevied that paying respect to him will bring prosperity and good luck.

Queen of Thailand’s Birthday/Mothers Day Today

Talen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:39:08 +0000

Today marks Her Majesty Queen Regent Sirikit’s 76th birthday which is also known as Mothers Day in Thailand. Mothers Day and Fathers Day are celebrated on the birthday’s of the King and Queen.

Queen Regent Sirkit was born on August 12th 1939 to Colonel Mom Chao Nakkhatra Mangkala Kitiyakorn and Mom Luang Bua Kitiyakorn. She was named Mom Rajawongse Sirikit Kitiyakorn. The title “Mom Rajawongse” means that she is a child of a Mom Chao the most junior class of Thai princes and descended from royalty. Her grandfather, HRH Prince Kitiyakorn Voralaksana Prince of Chandaburi, was the son of King Rama V. Her grandfather was the older brother of HRH Prince Mahidol of Songkla, Who was King Bhumibol’s father.

The Queen met her King while both were studying abroad in Switzerland. They became close after the Prince was injured and hospitalized following a motorcycle accident and the Queen visited him Daily. They were engaged in Lausanne, Switzerland in November of 1949 and were married the following year when the king returned to Thailand to take up his Royal Duties.

Today everyone will be wearing blue in honor of the Queen’s Birthday. Every day of the week in Thailand is assigned a color and the Queen was born on a Friday which is signified by blue.

The Queens Birthday not only represents Mothers Day in Thailand but it is also a national holiday and all banks and government offices will be closed. There will be many celebrations throughout Thailand in honor of their Queen who is well loved and revered in the rural areas as well in the Muslim south due to her work promoting tolerance and understanding of the Muslim Minorities in Thailand.

Happy Birthday your Majesty!

In case you might be wondering what color your day of the week is:

Sunday – red
Monday – yellow
Tuesday – pink
Wednesday – green
Thursday – orange
Friday – blue
Saturday – purple

Technically this post is early by American time but Thailand is 12 hours ahead of us.

Buddhist Lent Begins in Thailand

Talen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:01:28 +0000

Buddhist statue at Wat Phra That Phanome

Today marks the beginning of Buddhist lent in Thailand. Buddhist Lent starts on the first day of the waning moon of the 8th lunar month (July) and ends on the 15th day of the 11th lunar month (October). Also known as the rains retreat or Khao Phansa in Thai.

it’s a time when all Buddhist monks will spend the next three months of the rainy season in permanent dwellings. In early Buddhism it was believed that if a monk or holy man traveled during this time when crops started growing they might accidentally trample new plants. Buddha himself said all that follow him should also follow in this tradition. This is the day that Buddhist monks will take a vow to stay in one place or temple which will house them from the coming storms and rain.

During Lent Buddhist monks aside from staying in one particular temple will teach those that wish to become ordained in the Buddhist doctrine. This will be the beginning of their studies.

Followers of Buddhism during lent are to refrain from bad actions such as alcohol or drug use, anything that would cause followers to lead an inappropriate life. During this time they will gain merit by meditating, listening to sermons and observing the 5 precepts. The precepts are

Abstain from harming living things
Abstain from taking things not freely given
Abstain from indulging in sexual misconduct
Abstain from speaking falsly
Abstain from using intoxicating drinks or drugs that cause heedlessness

In Thailand The monks will vow to stay in one temple and not leave the temple grounds. Normally the monks would walk the surrounding city or country every morning to receive offerings from the people but being growing season Buddha doesn’t want them to trample new seedlings.
The beginning of Buddhist lent in Thailand is a celebration centered around the ceremony of giving candles to the temples for religious worship. Colorful candle processions will be organized at each temple where the offering will be made by many participants. The procession itself will have many large ornate candles carved from bees wax into shapes of temples, religious figures, and creatures.

Offerings outside temple

The act of donating candles to the temple for religious worship is supposed to give great blessings to the donor. They will also offer food and other necessities to the monks and then the procession will walk three times around the temple. After which prayers and meditations will be done.

At this time a lot of buddhist followers will make resolutions to be a better person by giving up smoking or alchohol and observing the 5 precepts of Buddhism.

No matter what religion you are visitors are always welcome to take part in the ceremonies. Just visiting a temple on a non-holiday and making an offering is a very soothing experience that you shouldn’t miss out on if you get the chance.

Visakha Bucha Day in Thailand

Talen — Mon, 19 May 2008 00:47:56 +0000

Today is Visakha Bucha day in Thailand. Visakha Bucha is a very important day in Buddhist tradition as it marks the birth of Prince Siddhatha Gotama who Became Buddha thirty five years after his birth, and died 45 years after becomoning Buddha. All three of these events happened on the 15th day of the waxing moon
in the 6th lunar month,which is the day of the full moon.

Throughout Thailand people will be heading to temples to take part in ceremonies and give flowers, incense, and other gifts to Pay respect to the great teacher Buddha. At temples such as Wat Phra That Phanom many people will gather and circle the great pagoda three times before giving their respects. The great pagoda at Wat Phra That Phanome was built eight years after Buddha’s death and houses his collar bone which is revered as a holy relic.

The following history of Visakha Bucha is courtesy of the Royal Thai Consulate General in Vancouver.

VISAKHA BUCHA
(Vesak) means the worship of the Buddha on the full moon day of the
sixth lunar month. It usually falls in May. In the case of a year with
an extra eighth lunar month–Adhikamasa (there are 13 full moons in
that year)– the Visakha Bucha Day falls on the full moon day of the
seventh lunar month.

BIRTH-ENLIGHTENMENT-PASSING AWAY

The Vesak full moon day
(The full moon day of Sixth lunar month)

Visakha
Bucha Day is one of the most important days in Buddhism because of
three important incidents in the life of The Buddha, i.e. the birth,
the enlightenment and the passing away, miraculously fall on the same
month and date, the Vesak full moon day. .So each year, Buddhists
throughout the world gather together to perform the worship to
recollect the wisdom, purity and compassion of the Buddha.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The Buddha was a king by birth. His clan name was Gotama. He was born
in Sakya Kingdom, eighty years before the Buddhist Era (around 2625
year ago), at Lumbini Park (now called Rummindel, in Nepal, north of
India), in Madhayama Pradesa, located between Kapilavastu, capital of
the Sakya Kingdom and Devadaha, capital of the Koliya Kingdom, on
Friday, the Vesak full moon day in the year of the dog.

Prince Siddhatha (the Buddha’s personal name) was the son of King
Suddhodana and Queen Sirimahamaya. On his birthday, Queen Sirimahamaya
who was pregnant, wanted to pay a visit to Devadaha wich was her native
country.

In the morning of the Vesak Full moon day, the Queen left Kapilavastu
on a visit to Devadaha. Approaching a lovely park of Sals trees called
Lumbini, located between the two capitals but nearer to Devadaha, the
Queen wanted to visit the park and when she arrived at a Sal tree she
started contractions and gave birth to a son there. When the Kings of
Kapilavastu and Devadaha learned this, they were very happy and
arranged a procession back to Kapilavastu.

Prince Siddhatta was brought up in the midst of luxury, led the happy
life of a privileged youth and married at the age of 16 to Princess
Yasodhara or Bimba who bore him a son, Rahula.

He discontened and took on the life of a wandering ascetic a the bank of the Anoma River. He was then 29.

He studied the mystic practices of the foremost Brahmin ascetics and
realized that such practices were not the way to enlightenment. He went
on his own way applying the reflective thought of conscious meditation
to a rational simple life of moderation.

At the age of 35, he attained Enlightenment at Uruvelasenanigama
subdistrict, Magadha State, (nowadays, located in the area of Buddha
Kaya, Bihar State, India), on Wednesday, the Vesak Full moon day, the
year of the cock, forty five years before the Buddhist Era.

The Dhamma discovered by the Buddha was Ariyasacca or the Four Noble Truths, namely:

The Noble Truth of Suffering

The Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering

The Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering

The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Extinction of Suffering

After having attained Enlightenment, the Buddha wandered from place to
place teaching his discoveries to people who are accessible to
instruction, helping large numbers of them achieve various levels of
spiritual attainment. He sent his followers to spread Buddhism in
capitals, cities and upcountry, until Buddhism was firmly established
and widely spread.

The Buddha passed away on Tuesday, the Vesak full moon day in the year
of the small snake under the two Sal trees in the Sala Grove of the
Mallas in Kusinara, capital of the Malla State, (nowadays located in
Kusinagara of Uttrarapradesa, India) at the age of eighty (around 2545
years ago).

The performance of the rituals on Visakha Bucha day had been
continuously observed in Jambudavipa or India, the motherland of
Buddhism, for a long time before Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka and
Thailand. There, the Visakha worship has been continually observed to
the present day.

In Thailand, Visakha Bucha observance began during the Sukhuthai period
(around 700 years ago), because of the close religious relations
between Thailand and Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan monks came to propagate
Buddhism in Thailand and were highly respected. Thai monks also went to
study in Sri Lanka. It’s believed that, those monks introduced this
ceremony to the King and people at that time.

More pictures of Wat Phra That Phanom can be seen in the gallery Wat Phra That Phanom.

Greetings From Thailand

Talen — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:56:04 +0000

I arrived in Thailand late last week and as you can tell from the above pic they still have some Christmas lights and decorations up. Although Thailand is primarily a Buddhist country There is a small contintgent of Christian Thais ( about 2% ) , but all Thais love Sanuk ( fun ) so a holiday like Christmas Is just another excuse for them to have some fun.

Been tough trying to post to the blog the last week due to irregular, bad, and sometimes no internet connection available…but I’ll be posting when and where I can.

I’ve been taking a lot of great pictures from Bangkok down to Pattaya and plan on being in Mukdahan and Nacome Phanom this coming week.

Loy Kratong Festival of Lights

Talen — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:32:41 +0000

Please check the sidebar to the right for the current years date for Loy Kratong

Definitely the most romantic of the Thai festivals, Loy Kratong is a must-experience for those visiting the land of smiles. Held on the night of the 12th full moon, Loy Kratong falls in November, check the sidebar to see what day it falls on this year. Although the influx of western culture has brought with it Valentines Day on February 14th, Loy Kratong is Thailand’s original festival for lovers.

Originating as a Brahmanical festival adopted by Thai Buddhists during the reign of Rama IV in1863, Loy Kratong is a ceremony that venerates the Lord Buddha by offering floating trays laden with flowers, candles and incense. Loy translates to “float” in Thai, while Kratong pertains to a tray made from banana leaves. The light from the candle honors Lord Buddha, while the act of floating symbolizes the release of anger, resentment or any tarnishing of one’s character. It is a way for a person to make amends and start afresh.

In addition to this, most Thais also float their kratong to honor the goddess of the rivers and waterways, Mae Nam, who they believe will bring good luck. This ties in with the romantic element of Loy Kratong which stems from a legend about Nang Nopamas, who was a royal consort to King Ramkhamhaeng (founder of Sukhothai).

According to legend, Nopamas made the original Loy Kratong to appeasen Mae Nam, and set it afloat in the palace canals so that it would pass by her lover, the King. The King was enchanted by this creation and by Nang Nopamas forever after, hence the belief that if two lovers set a kratong into a waterway and it stays afloat until it has left sight, their love will last forever.

During Loy Kratong you’ll see men and women dressed in beautiful cultural outfits. If you can only make it to Thailand and witness one festival this is the one not to miss!

Thailand Land of Smiles» Thailand Holidays

Chulalongkorn Day in Thailand

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Queen of Thailand’s Birthday/Mothers Day Today

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Buddhist Lent Begins in Thailand

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Visakha Bucha Day in Thailand

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Greetings From Thailand

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Loy Kratong Festival of Lights

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