Maka Bucha Day

Today is Maka Bucha Day, one of the most important holidays in the Buddhist calendar. It's also a public holiday in Thailand, and the sale of alcohol is prohibited for a full 24 hours in compliance with the precepts of Buddhism.

a statue of a standing Buddha with flower garlands for offering

Maka Bucha Day is sometimes called "Buddhist All-Saint's Day". It's a day of reverence, purification, and discipline. On this day, devout Buddhists will visit the temple at night, and circle the temple in a candlelight procession. It's also an important day for merit-making activities including lighting candles and incense and giving alms to monks.

Maka Bucha Day celebrates an event happening on the night of a full moon. Nine months after he attained enlightenment and became the Buddha, 1,250 holy men spontaneously showed up to listen to one of the Buddha's sermons, becoming his first disciples. At that moment, all of them became enlightened and were ordained by Buddha himself as the first Buddhist monks. This holiday celebrates the start of Buddhism as an institution.