Travel calendar (March) – Makha Bucha Fair, Procession of Cloth for Hae Phat Khuen That, 2023, Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

       The Makha Bucha Fair and the Procession of Cloth for Hae Pha Khuen That, 2023, will take place from 2 to 6 March at Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan in the Sanam Na Mueang of the Pak Phanang District of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province. Nakhon Si Thammarat residents have been passing on this annual charity event for generations.

       Worship of the sacred relics of Nakhon Si Thammarat province is represented by a procession of cloth in the relics of Wat Phra Mahathat Worawihan. In the Hae Phat Khuen That celebration, the “phra bot” cloth, a very long piece of cloth (popular colors are white, yellow, and red), is brought to the Phra Borommathat Chedi, which houses the relics of the Lord Buddha, on the fifteenth day of the third lunar month (Makha Bucha Day) and the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month (Visakha Bucha Day) to organize a grand procession.  The cloth is then wrapped around the base of the chedi.

       In addition, the event’s activities include a candlelight procession, a demonstration of robe writing, a robe writing contest and an exhibition of robes, a market for southern desserts, a sale of food products made in the region, and cultural performances from the region’s residents.