Thai New Year Celebration

Today was a joyful day from start to finish. It reminds me of a Thai traditional folk saying, which was the answers to the question “where can a man find luck in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening”.

In the MORNING, they say that luck is to be found on our faces, hence the reason for why people should wash their faces first thing in the morning.

In the AFTERNOON, they say that luck is to be found on our chest, hence the reason why most Thai would choose to wash themselves.

In the EVENING, they say that luck is to be found on our feet, hence the reason why the Thais would wash their feet before retiring to bed every night.

Just like the folk tale, our celebrations today can also be divided into three parts.

In the morning, the visitors began their day by taking part in a number of meritorious activities, including paying respect to triple gem, taking precepts, listening to a Dhamma talk, giving alms food to the venerable monks and receiving blessings.

In the afternoon, the visitors browsed through the stalls and gathered around the stage to enjoy the colourful live entertainment. Amongst the spectacular Thai music performance there were Thai classical dancing and a beauty pageant.

In the evening, many visitors paid their respects to the presiding Buddha and the Black Buddha in the main temple before going off home.

Last year has ended, the new year has already began its count down and next year is on its way. Therefore, one should not be careless about the time. We must be well prepared for life and live it so that we never have any regrets. See you next year 2008.