Each year, usually in the month of July, Buddhist Thais nationwide join merit-making (การทำบุญ) and other religious activities to mark two significant days: Asalha Bucha and Buddhist Lent Day.

 

Asalha Bucha Day is a special Buddhist holiday in Thailand marking the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon(แสดงธรรมปฐมเทศนา) at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago. The exact date of the holiday is determined by the waxing moon (ข้างขึ้น) and the lunar months.

 

More broadly, the holiday is a celebration of beginnings, commemorating not just the Buddha’s first sermon(ธรรมปฐมเทศนา) but also his conception and the day he renounced his royal life to become an ascetic.This day is an auspicious one to begin a new venture or renew lapsed resolutions.

 

Asalha Bucha is followed by Vassa (Phansa-Bhuddhist Lent), it is known in Thai as khao phansa, which marks the beginning of the annual three-month Buddhist Lent, or Buddhist Rains Retreat. It falls on the first day of the waning moon (ข้างแรม) of the eighth lunar month.

 

References:

https://www.unhcr.org/50be10cb9.pdf

https://www.m-culture.go.th/en/article_view.php?nid=40

https://exploringyourmind.com/9-buddhist-teachings-better-…/

https://hilight.kapook.com/view/26024

https://tricycle.org/magazine/what-is-dharma-day/