MONKS RIDING FOR ALMS
Offering food to monks may not look grand and special, except when the activity is held as a special event once a year in Surin, the city of elephants.
Tomorrow the province will hold Tak Bat Bon Lang Chang, a festival in which people offer alms to monks who ride elephants. The grand event will mark Asarnha Bucha Day, when Buddha gave his first sermon, which falls on Monday. It is always one day before Buddhist Lent, or the religious festivals of Vesak or Vassa, monks’ traditional retreat during the rainy season lasting three lunar months, from July to October.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, there will be 66 elephants participating in the event. The elephants are from Ta Klang elephant village. Each elephant will carry a mahout at the front, two monks on its saddle and another person at the end of the saddle to help put offerings of food in a sack.
Temporary stands will be set up for attendees to offer food — typically dried food. The elephant parade will start at 7am near the statute of Phraya Surin Tara Phakdi Si Narong Jangwang, the first lord of Surin, in the middle of town.
The event is expected to attract thousands of locals and visitors.
Once the event ends, visitors can travel further to Ubon Ratchathani, about 170km northeast of Surin, to join the famous carved-candle festival.
Founded in 1927, the annual event is hosted to mark the beginning of Buddhist Lent, this year on Monday. It will feature a long procession of huge carved candles. Each candle can be about 10m long and 4m high. They are made by local and international artists. Candles are carved and sculpted in various shapes depicting episodes from the life of Lord Buddha, to pay homage to Buddhist methods of art and sculpture.
Also featured in the parade will be traditional dances and performances.
The candle festivals are also organised in provinces like Suphan Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima, or Korat. The later recently became talk of the town when craftsmen in the Phimai district crafted a wax sculpture of Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The sculpture is part of the carved candles of Wat Doem. The parade will kick off in Phimai town.