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.

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.

Loy Krathong  

Tod Kratin - lasts for 30 days, from Ok Phansa through to the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. Robes and other necessities of temple life are offered ceremoniously to the monks on an appointed day. 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.

The sequence of events for each of the above religious days goes something like this: Early in the morning, people begin to arrive at the temple wearing their best clothes. They bring food prepared at home, usually in highly decorative gold or silver bowls, and set it out to be offered to the monks later. There is a ceremony with monks chanting blessing and the presiding monk reads one of Buddhas sermons. The food is then offered to the buddha for the monks. After this breakfast, the people are blessed by the monks. The people request the food back then eat the food returned by the monks in a communal meal. The men are usually separate from the women. After this another ceremony is held with the monks leading a procession making three complete circuits of the main temple building. Sometimes it is a candle light procession. This event signifies the end of the celebrations.