Visakha Bucha in Thailand is like both Christmas and Easter for Christians. Every year this holiday is celebrated on a grand scale and with a special joyful mood, because this is Buddha's Day - the main day for Buddhists.
Visakha Bucha (Buddha Day) is the main Buddhist holiday. In this holiday, the birth, enlightenment and departure to Buddha's nirvana were combined. Therefore, for Thais, whose main religion is Buddhism, this day is so important.
Visakha Bucha is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the moon. Each time this date is different, in 2012 this day falls on the fourth of June, but the events will last until the tenth (exactly 2600 years have passed since the Buddha's enlightenment, so the holiday will be more luxurious).
Thailand is decorated with beautiful balloons, religious flags, paper lanterns, colorful flowers and many other decorations. Very early in the morning, people from the countryside and villages begin to prepare festive meals for the monks. At dawn, people take the food to the temple.
Religious ceremonies and rituals are of prime importance in this holiday, so residents remain in the temples. There people spend almost the whole day, participate in festive events, meditate, listen to and study sermons, and perform various rituals.
In the evening, a candle procession is held - the main event. Residents go around the main temple three times, during this procession they pray and listen to sermons. Each participant holds flowers, three lighted incense sticks and an ordinary candle in his hand. These three things symbolize the main shrines: the Buddha, his followers and the teachings of the Buddha.
The most solemn and pretentious candle ceremony is held in the province of Nakhon Pathom (in the Putta Monton temple), where there is a statue of the Walking Buddha. Someone from the royal family will lead the procession.
On this holiday, any physical work is prohibited (cleaning the house, repairing, farming, gardening and much more). It is also forbidden to drink alcohol, some bars are closed on Visakha Bucha.
