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Religious Ceremonies and Important

                                                   Religious Days



                                                              Religious ceremonies in Buddhism are the prototypes and the customs that
                                                   Buddhist adherents should follow. They are customarily related to the cycle of life from
                                                   birth  to  death.  In  addition,  important  holy  days  are  special  days  that  Buddhist  devout
                                                   laymen  go  to  temples  to  make  merit  and  practice  religious  activities. These  days  are:
                                                   the Dhammasavana or Uposatha (Observance) Day, Vesak or Visakah Puja Day, Magha Puja
                                                   Day, Asalha Puja Day, The Buddhist Lent Day and the End of Buddhist Lent Day.

                                                              The Dhammasavana Day

                                                              The Dhammasavana or Uposatha (Observance) Day are four holy days in a month,
                                                   when Buddhist laymen are gathered together each week for religious activities. The word
                                                   “Dhammasavana” refers to the hearing of the Buddhist chanting, therefore, it is the day when
                                                   the devout Buddhist goes to the temple to hear the dharma chanting, practice the precepts and
                                                   listen to the monks who are gathered in the ubosot too. The four days of the month stipulated
                                                                                               th
                                                   for Dhammasavana Day, are the 8th day and the 15  day of the waxing moon and the 8  day and
                                                                                                                              th
                                                         th
                                                                                                                     th
                                                   the 15  day of the waning moon. If the month is short of those days, the 14  day of the waning
                                                   moon can be used as a replacement.
                                                              For the Buddhist adherents in the past and people in the countryside today,
                                                   the holy days are an important opportunity to go to the monastery for offering food to the monks,
        Mural painting of the Life of the Lord Buddha.  for merit making, for absorbing preaching while reciting a prayer and to have time for
        Depicting the scene when the Lord Buddha   meditation. On that day, Buddhist devotees can practice the eight precepts or the ubosot precepts.
        preached to the five ascetics in the ubosot of   Furthermore, they should remove themselves from any immoral act because to be sinful on that
        Wat Ratchasittharam, Bangkok               day is far worse than on any other days.

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