DirectRooms.com – Buddhists gather for Makha Bucha Day in Koh Samui

DirectRooms reports that Buddhists on the Thai island of Koh Samui and all around the country will be coming together for one of the most important days in the Buddhist calendar in February.

Makha Bucha Day is a celebration of two events that occurred while the Lord Buddha was alive. The first being a gathering of 1,250 monks who had independently decided on that day to go and pay respect to the Lord Buddha. The monks had travelled from many different regions and during the impromptu meeting the Buddha preached the Ovādapātimokkha sermon which taught the foundations of Buddhism.

The second event occurred on the same day but 45 years later and is remembered on Makha Bucha Day as the time of the prophecy of the Lord Buddha foreseeing that he would achieve Nirvana within three months. Buddha foretold of the exact date when he would die and this is explained in Buddhism as the ‘rejection of the aggregates of life.’

The auspicious day is decided every year by the lunar calendar and this year falls on 18th February 2011. Makha in Pali means the third lunar month and Bucha means to honour and the day is celebrated as a national holiday in Thailand.

People staying in a Koh Samui hotel (http://directrooms.com/thailand/hotels/koh-samui-hotels/price1.htm) can witness ceremonies taking place at temples all over the island and in the evening there is a special ceremony called ‘wian tian’ where people will walk holding a lit candle around the temple or chedi three times.

Lek Boonlert, marketing head at DirectRooms commented: “Makha Bucha Day is an important event for many Buddhists and as a national holiday many people will also spend the time going away. Hotels in Koh Samui will notice the rise in visitors and people will need to confirm accommodation before making travel arrangements.”

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Lek Boonlert

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DirectRooms

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