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Celebrated all over Thailand on Makha Bucha Day, the Makha Bucha Festival is a very important festival in the Buddhist calendar. Held in the month of February, this Buddhist festival falls on full moon day of the third lunar month, known as Makha. The date, however, changes from year to year. Makha Bucha Festival is the day that honors the event when 1,250 of Lord Buddha's Sangha disciples assembled without previous agreement. On this day, about nine months after his enlightenment, Buddha gave an important sermon. These followers were then ordinated and enlightened by Buddha. The Sangha, company of Buddhist monks, was formed after Buddha's first-ever sermon. This Sangha comprised the lord himself, along with five of his most ardent devotees. With this, the first Triple Gem - Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - was also completed. Kaundinya, a Buddhist bhikkhu from Uttar Pradesh (India), became the first arahant of the Triple Gem. The Makha Bucha Festival is celebrated with candle light processions. In the evening, devotees gather in temple complexes to form a procession. Buddhists carry flowers, lighted candles and joss sticks during this procession of Makha Bucha Festival. These people walk around a Chedi at the temple three times under the full moon. On the day of Makha Bucha Festival, people donate generously to temple monks. Alms like canned foods, robes, incense and candles are most common donations. Monks are considered to be the most avid followers and preachers of Buddha's teachings. Hence, they are given paramount importance during the Makha Bucha Festival. When you visit Thailand, you'll be astounded by the large scale of celebrations that define all Buddhist festivals in Chiang Mai. The city's look spellbinds tourists, who willingly participate with locals in these celebrations, light candles in temples and also donate generously to monks.
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