Rab Bua Festival (Lotus Throwing Festival)

Rab Bua Festival (Lotus Throwing Festival)
📅 September 30 – October 8, 2025
📍 Wat Bang Phli Yai Nai, Royal Monastery, Samut Prakan

✨ The Rab Bua Festival, or Lotus Throwing Festival, is one of the most unique traditions in Thailand, celebrated by the people of Bang Phli and Samut Prakan. This 9-day and 9-night event features sacred ceremonies, boat processions, and cultural activities deeply rooted in faith and community spirit.

Festival Highlights

• Saturday, October 4, 2025
  - Procession of Luang Pho To by land
• Sunday, October 5, 2025
  - 06:00 AM – Alms offering to monks by boat
  - 08:00 AM – Procession of Luang Pho To by boat
  - 10:00 AM – Traditional boat races
• Monday, October 6, 2025
  - 07:00 AM – Lotus Throwing Ceremony 🌸
  - Paying homage to Luang Pho To & parade of decorated boats
• Tuesday, October 7, 2025
  - End of Buddhist Lent (Ok Phansa)
• Wednesday, October 8, 2025
  - Tak Bat Devo Rohana (alms-giving ceremony after the Buddha’s descent from heaven)

Origins of the Tradition
The Rab Bua Festival is observed on the 13th and 14th days of the waxing moon of the 11th lunar month. Its origins trace back to the Mon people who migrated to Thailand during the reign of King Rama II (Phra Phutthaloetla Naphalai). Settling around Phra Pradaeng and later along Khlong Samrong in Bang Phli, they cultivated rice fields and followed seasonal migration patterns.

In the month of the 11th lunar moon, during the full moon and high-water season, villagers would paddle along the canals to visit relatives in Bang Phli on the 13th day. On their return to Phra Pradaeng the next morning (14th day), they would gather abundant lotus flowers along the way to offer to monks for the Ok Phansa festival. Over time, it became customary for the Bang Phli community to prepare and present lotuses to the Mon villagers — giving birth to the Rab Bua or “Lotus Receiving” tradition.

Today, the festival is famed for its spectacular lotus-throwing ritual, where thousands of devotees gather along the waterways to offer lotuses into the passing boat carrying the revered image of Luang Pho To. The sight of countless lotus blossoms showering upon the sacred Buddha image is considered a blessing of merit, unity, and faith. 🌸🙏