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The actual date of the celebration at the temple will vary. Please consult the YEARLY CALENDAR for actual dates and times.

In addition, different sects have some days on a different date.

There are many special or holy days held throughout the year by the Buddhist community. Many of these days celebrate the birthdays of Bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition or other significant dates in the Buddhist calendar. The most significant celebration happens every May on the night of the full moon, when Buddhist all over the world celebrate the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha over 2,500 years ago. It has become to be known as Buddha Day.

Buddhist Festivals are always joyful occasions. Typically on a festival day, lay people will go the the local temple or monastery and offer food to the monks and take the Five Precepts and listen to a Dharma talk. In the afternoon, they distribute food to the poor to make merit and in the evening join perhaps in a ceremony of perambulation a stupa three time as a sign of respect to the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. The day will conclude with evening chanting of the Buddha's teachings and meditation. 


The following is the dates that may have some celebration at the temple. There is a nice page, Festivals and Special Days, that lists more special days for all Buddhist. The Thai Buddhist Calendar (similar to Laos and Cambodian) has the special days. Another web page has Buddhist Holidays 2010.

January 1, New Year's Day 2553 (2010) / วันขื้นปีใหม่
The beginning of the western new year is a national holiday in Thailand, one of three "new year" holidays celebrated every year.

In Theravadin countries, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Lao, the new year is celebrated for three days from the first full moon day in April. In Mahayana countries the new year starts on the first full moon day in January. However, the Buddhist New Year depends on the country of origin or ethnic background of the people. As for example, Chinese, Koreans and Vietnamese celebrate late January or early February according to the lunar calendar, whilst the Tibetans usually celebrate about one month later.

The Buddhist Calendar dates from when Buddha was enlightened 543 years before the Common Era (CE) calendar starts.

Magha Puja - falls on the full moon of the third lunar month ( February). It was on this day that 1,250 enlightened monks converged to pay respect to the Lord Buddha without any prior appointment. Magha Puja is usually celebrated with a public sermon during the day and a candle lit procession to pay respect to the Lord Buddha during the night

February 14 - Chinese New Year's Day / วัน ตรุษจีน
Chinese New Year is not, strictly speaking, a Buddhist holiday. However, Chinese Buddhists begin the New Year by going to a temple to offer incense and prayers.

This date marks the beginning of a year of the Metal Tiger. I understand (again, this is not Buddhist) that a Metal Tiger year tends to be tumultuous.

The beginning of the Chinese lunar year is celebrated in the Chinatown of every city throughout Thailand. It is a day to visit Vietnamese and Chinese Temples. This is a "lunar" festival and depends on when the Full Moon occurs.

February 14 - Tibetan New Year's Day - Losar

In Tibetan monasteries, observance of Losar begins during the last days of the old year. Monks perform special rituals evoking protective deities and clean and decorate the monasteries. The first day of Losar is a day of elaborate ceremonies, including dances and recitations of Buddhist teachings. The remaining two days are for a more secular festival. On the third day, old prayer flags are replaced with new ones.

In 2010, Losar and Chinese New Year fall on the same day, but this is not always true. In 2009, Losar was a month later than Chinese New Year.

6 April 2008 (Sunday) Chakri Day Chakri Day commemorates the founding of the current dynasty by King Rama I.

Songkran / วัน สงกรานต์ April 13-15 of each year. Songkran is the traditional Thai new year, generally celebrated as a water festival. One of the biggest celebrations at the temple. The "SONGKRAN" festival happens in the hot season in half of April. This festival happens in all Buddhist "THERAVADA" countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Burma. Songkran is the ancient New Year's Day. Now the official New Year's Day happens the 1st of January but the most popular feast is still "Songkran." A good time to visit Thailand or the temple.The actual celebration will be on a weekend before or after. Consult the Yearly Calendar

5 May 2008 (Monday) Coronation Day - Celebrates the day in 1949 when the current king was crowned.

Visakha Puja - falls on the full moon of the sixth month of the lunar year (around the middle of May). It is one of the most important days for Buddhists because on this day the Lord Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, and died. All three of these significant events fell on the same day. The day is celebrated in a similar fashion to Magha Puja day.

Asalha Puja - falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month (July) and is also very important. It was on this day that the Lord Buddha preached His sermon to followers after attaining enlightenment. The day is usually celebrated by merit making, listening to a monk’s sermon, and joining a candle lit procession during the night.

Khao Phansa - falls on the first day after the full moon of the eighth lunar month (July) and marks the beginning of the three-month Buddhist ‘lent’ period. At this time, all monks and novices must remain in their temples at night. The exception is an extreme emergency. Even then, their time away must not exceed seven consecutive nights. This is a time for serious contemplation and meditation for both monks and laymen alike. Traditionally, it is also important for laymen to ordain their sons into the monkhood on this day to get maximum benefit from the Buddhist teachings.

12 August 2008 Queen's Birthday (Tuesday) Her Majesty the Queen's birthday is a national holiday in Thailand, also serving as the country's Mothers Day as well.

Ok Phansa - marks the end of the Buddhist lent and falls on the full moon of the eleventh lunar month (October). This is a day of joyful celebration and merit-making. For many families, it is also the day they welcome a son back into the home and celebrate his successful completion of a term in the temple.

23 October 2008 (Thursday) Chulalongkorn Day Celebrates the birthday of one of Thailand's most revered kings. 

Loy Krathong   Loi Krathong is a religious event which happens every year on the full moon of the 12th lunar month (first full moon day of November). All Thai people buy or make a "KRATHONG". It is made of Styrofoam surrounded by banana leaves, with flowers, incense, and a candle in the middle. Then in the evening, Thai people go to places where there is a river, a pound to launch their "KRATHONG". Not a national holiday, but an evening when Thais pay respect to the goddess of the waters by floating candlelit offerings on any and all waterways around the kingdom.

Tod Kratin - This day is a religious event. The three months rain retreat is over for monks. Monks are allowed to go out of temples. Robes offering ceremonies ("THOT KATHIN" - ทอดกฐิน) happen everywhere in Thailand. Thai people choose temples everywhere in Thailand and bring there clothes, food for the monks. "THOT KATHIN" ceremonies can occur  for 30 days, from Ok Phansa through to the full moon of the twelfth lunar month.  Each temple may hold a Tod Kratin ceremony only once each year. In the time of the Lord Buddha, this ceremony was meant to teach monks humility and show them how to cut, sew, and dye the robes for themselves. The finished robes were then offered to the members of the company deemed most suitable. Today, however, the ritual has evolved dramatically into a grand celebration where hundreds and thousands of people join in the merit making. It is also an important occasion for the temple to raise funds.

December 5 - The King's Birthday and Father's day

December 31 New Year's Eve / วันสิ้นปี