Magha puja day is considered one of the most important Buddhist celebrations' It refers to the worsh

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WELCOME
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• Magha puja day is considered one of the most
  important Buddhist celebrations. It refers to the
  worship that takes place on the full moon of the
  third lunar month (about the last week of
  February or early March) to commemorate the day
  on which Lord Buddha recited the "Ovadha
  Patimokkha" (the Fundamental Teaching) to his
  disciples

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• This day marks the great four events that took
  place during Lord Buddha's lifetime, namely
• ? The time of the full moon in the third lunar
  month,
• ? 1,250 Buddhist monks from differents places
  came to pay homage to the Lord Buddha at Veluwan
  Temple in Rajgaha City of Magaha State, without
  any appointment,
• ( all of them were Arahants (enlightened monks)
  who had attained the Apinyas (Six Higher
  Knowledges),
• ( all of them had been individually ordained by
  Lord Buddha himself (Ehi Bhikkhu).

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• Later, the Magha Puja ceremony was widely
  accepted and performed throughout the country.
• The evening of that day, Lord Buddha gave the
  assembly a discourse "Ovadha Patimokkha", laying
  down the principles of His Teachings to be
  followed by all Buddhists, summarized into three
  acts, i.e. to do good, to abstain from bad action
  and to purify the mind.
• Magha Puja Day was never celebrated in Thai
  kingdom. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) explained
  that "..the Magha Puja was never performed, the
  ceremony has just been practised during the reign
  of King Mongkrut (Rama IV) of the Chakri
  Dynasty". Having realized the importance of this
  day, King Rama IV ordered the royal Magha Puja
  Ceremony to be performed in the Emerald Buddha
  Temple in 1851 and to celebrate it yearly.
• Later the ceremony was widely accepted and
  performed throughout the kingdom. It was declared
  to be a public holiday back then so everybody
  could go to the temple to merit and perform other
  religious activities in the morning and to take
  part in the candlelit procession or "Wien Tien"
  in the evening

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• Activities of the Day To allow Buddhists in
  Thailand an opportunity to perform religious
  activities on this special day, the Thai
  government makes Makabucha Day a national
  holiday.
• There are many activities in which people can
  choose to participate.
• Early in the morning Buddhists give food to the
  monks. They may make merit by freeing fish and
  birds.
• During the day they listen to the teaching of
  Lord Buddha and practise meditation.
• The evening they perform a religious activity
  called Wian Tian by walking clockwise 3
  timesaround the Bot or the main building of the
  temple.They carry a lighted candle, 3 incense
  sticks and flowers in their hands. The first
  round of the walk is to think of Lord Buddha, the
  founder of Buddhism (Phra Phut) . The second
  round is to think of the teachings of Lord Buddha
  (Phra Tham) and the last round is to think of
  monks (Phra Song) who carry on and practise the
  teachings of Lord Buddha

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• KHAO PHANSA- OK PHANSA
• ????? or " PHANSA" is the Buddhist rainy
  season. The rain retreat or Buddhist Lent is
  marked by two major religious events one for
  the entering of the rainy season called "WAN KHAO
  PHANSA"
• (????????????) and for the exit of the rainy
  season called " WAN OK PHANSA" (???????????).

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• Ordination
• During the rainy season, i.e. three months,
  approximately July, august, September (depending
  on lunar months), monks aren't allowed to sleep
  outside their temple and cannot defrock. This
  tradition is coming from old times where the Lord
  Buddha stayed in temples during rainy season to
  avoid killing insects or growing seeds. It is a
  period for study, meditation and to teach new
  monks. They are allowed to go out during the day
  but they must sleep in the same temple every
  night during three months.
• Still many Thai men become monks before the
  rain retreat as it offers a three months time to
  study the Dharma (???? - Buddha teachings).

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• Donations
• A few days before "WAN KHAO PHANSA", Thai
  people buy big candles. These candles should by
  pair. One for the buyer and one to get a mate for
  next life. When buying the wax candles, the
  candle is decorated with dragon, flowers and so
  on...

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• Asalabucha day
• One day before the beginning of the Buddhist
  lent, there is Asalabucha day (?????????????).
  This day commemorates the first sermon of Buddha
  to his five first disciples. One of them asked
  for being a monk. So this day is sacred because
  it deals with Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

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• Buddhist sermon
• Thai people gather in the temple in order to
  listen to the Dharma. Temples are really crowded
  for "WAN KHAO PHANSA".

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• Giving alms
• During the Buddhist sermon, some laymen and
  laywomen prepare the trays dedicated to the monks.

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• Giving alms
• When the Buddhist sermon is finished, Thai
  people are queuing to fill monks bowl with food.

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• Candle donation

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• Thai people are queuing in order to give their
  donations to the abbot. They offer wax candles
  but also monk robe, food, lotus flowers, buckets
  full of useful goods and so on... A Thai greeting
  towards the monk ( "WAI" - ???? ) shall be done
  before and after the donation
• The Candle Wax procession ("PHITI HAE PRASAT
  PEUNG" - ?????????????????) in Ubon Ratchatani is
  the most famous Candle Wax procession in
  Thailand. There is a night and day parad of huge
  wax candles. Those wax candles are big enough to
  last three months during a rain retreat season.

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• Candle donation
• Soon, the abbot is submerged with donations. As
  usual, some laymen gather the donations in order
  that new donators can offer their wax candle.

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• Benediction
• After receiving the donations, the abbot
  blesses the crowd by sprinkling lustral water
  (NAM MON - ???????) on people. Lustral water is
  water that has been infused with magical powers
  or has received a blessing from monks. Thais
  believe that those who drink lustral water or
  have it sprinkled on their head, the most sacred
  part of the body, will be blessed.

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• Evening ceremony
• ?????????? or "VIEN TIEN" happens in the
  evening. During this ceremony, people turn around
  the temple three times with a candle in the hand.

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Visakabucha Day
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• Amid all ancient religions, Buddhism gets the
  esteem and be respectable from people around the
  world especially South Asia, East Asia and
  Southeast Asia .With the moral principle bases
  on the reason which resembles to scientific
  principle, everyone praises Buddha who creates
  and disseminates the moral principle as the VIP
  of the world. For Buddhist, there are three
  important Buddhist celebrations Makabucha Day
  (on February), Asahabucha Day (on July),
  Visakabucha Day (May)Visakabucha is stand for
  Visakapoonnameebucha which means worship on the
  middle of the 6th lunar month. Buddhist regard
  this day as the Buddhas recalling Day. On this
  day there were three supernatural events happened
  in the same day and month. First, it was the
  Buddhas birthday in 80 B.C. Second is the
  enlightenments day in 35 B.C. And the last is
  Nirvana day in 1 B.C. In the morning of the
  Buddhas recalling Day, people will make merit,
  listen to sermon, set a bird and fish free for
  merit. At night, Buddhist will walk with lighted
  candles in hand around a temple.

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In Thailand, there is Visakabucha ceremony since
Sukhothai period but it was not happened in
Ayudhaya and Thonburi period. Finally, in the
reign of King Rama II, this ceremony was
rearranged. In 1957, Buddhism is 1957-year-old
so the government built the Puttha Monthon,
Buddhist monument, at Nakornprathom to recollect
the virtues of the Buddha. And in 1999, UN voted
this day to be the important day of the world
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Refer

• ?http//www.thaiworldview.com/bouddha/ceremon8.ht
  m ?http//sunsite.au.ac.th/thailand/special_event
  /index.html
• ?http//www.at-bangkok.com/articles_the-day-of-v
  isak.php

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• MALE GROUP
• M.4/1