Tourism Calendar - Floating Alms Giving Ceremony at Wat Suwannaram, Nakhon Pathom

     For both Thai and foreign tourists looking for a cultural tourism experience within the ambience of merit-making, not far from Bangkok, this event should not be missed. The Floating Alms Giving ceremony at Wat Suwannaram will take place on October 27th, 2023, at Wat Suwannaram, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom province.

     The Floating Alms Giving ceremony at Wat Suwannaram has been a tradition in the Maha Sawat Canal community for over half a century. It continues the ancient culture of Thai people and the local lifestyle along the Maha Sawat Canal. The ceremony traditionally embodies a belief from the past: it is a merit-making act dedicated to the goddess Klong Kha and for those who have drowned in the Maha Sawat Canal. Hence, the ceremony serves as a means of passing on local wisdom, encouraging villagers living along the canal to maintain the canal and keep their children from falling into the water.

     During the floating alms giving ceremony, monks will collect alms by boat. Buddhists will line their everyday-use boats along the shore to partake in the merit-making activity of offering dry food and rice. There are also many activities continuing until the evening such as releasing fish into the water, a song performance by National Artist "Mae Srinuan", traditional sports competitions such as Sea Boxing, and a mute and blind rowing competition. These activities will take place on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, coinciding with the annual Loy Krathong festival.

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