«Makha» in Pali — sacred language of Buddhists — name of the third lunar month, and «Bucha» — reverence and respect. Makkha Bucha (Thai). ราวา /Makha Buch) — is a day of gratitude to Buddha for his teachings brought to people.
Makha Bucha — is one of the significant Buddhist holidays. It falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month (approximately —, second half of February, early March). This day is associated with four important events that took place in the life of the Buddha.
Namely, 1,250 Buddhist monks (each on their own initiative, without prior arrangement) came from various places to honor the Buddha at Veluwan Vihara in Razgaha, the capital of the country of Magaha.
They were all enlightened monks. All of them were ordained as monks by the Buddha personally. The monks came together on the day of the full moon in the first lunar month. On the evening of the same day, the Buddha read them the sermon «Ovada patimoka», during which he put forward the basic principles of his teaching and, ultimately, came to three truths: do good, refrain from evil and cleanse your mind.
For a long time it was unknown when they began to celebrate the holiday of Makh Bucha. However, the manual for annual religious ceremonies, written by King Chulalongkorn, says this: «...In the past, Makha Bucha has not been held. The ceremony took place for the first time during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV)...». King Rama IV understood the importance of this day, and in 1851 ordered the first royal ceremony of Makha Bucha to be held at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and then held constantly.
The holiday later gained widespread recognition throughout the kingdom. This day has been declared a day off so that people from all walks of life can come to the temple to perform religious rituals in the morning and take part in a candle procession or «Vien Tien» in the evening. In connection with this feast, His Majesty personally presides over the religious rites at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and then leads the candle procession inside the temple complex. In fact, candle processions can be held at any convenient time — in the morning or evening. However, in Bangkok they are usually held in the evening, around 8 o'clock, and are led by monks.
Buddhist Temple of Ayutthaya during the holiday (Photo: apiguide, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
The celebration takes place throughout the country in churches and monasteries. At the end of the day, everyone gathers for the main prayer in the central hall of the temple. At its end, the image of the Buddha, festively decorated for this occasion, is placed on a special stretcher, and everyone present makes a symbolic move around the temple three times clockwise. Those walking hold candles, incense sticks and lotus flowers in their hands.
This ritual is performed to « reinforce the three basic principles of Buddhist philosophy: non-resistance to evil, cultivation of goodness and purification of the mind. This day also pays tribute to the three fundamental jewels of Buddhism: the most enlightened Buddha, the Dharma — of his teachings and the Sangkha — brotherhood of Buddhist monasticism, those who preserve this teaching.