Sakon Nakhon residents rush to build a beehive castle to show off its beauty in the traditional festival of the Ok Phansa Festival, the procession of the beehive castle 2567. In Surat Thani, locals and monks join hands to build a ‘land Phra Nom boat’ to continue the tradition of pulling the Buddha image.
At Wat Saphan Si, Tambon Khamin, Amphoe Mueang, Sakon Nakhon Province, craftsmen, monks, and temple residents are rushing to carve, cast, and pour beeswax molds into various patterns to decorate the structure of the beehive castle, which represents the life story of the Buddha. This year, creativity has also been added. The lower base is a story from the Ramakien epic, the Churning of the Ocean of Milk. The castle structure has also been adjusted to be larger than before, 5.20 meters wide, 11 meters long, and 8 meters high. It is now over 90 percent complete and is ready to be showcased to the world at the annual Sakon Nakhon Beehive Castle Procession and Royal Trophy Long-tail Boat Race, 2024, from October
12-17.
Phra Samuhisawat, a monk at Saphan Si Temple, said that the Beeswax Castle Procession is a major merit-making event for Sakon Nakhon residents to pay homage to the Buddha and promote tourism on the end of Buddhist Lent. The images of the life of the Buddha and Thai literature that have been added are hoped that the new generation will see the value of the beautiful culture that has been passed down. They will work hard to make it as beautiful as possible, worthy of being a city and land of Buddhism.
Build a ‘Phanom Phra Boat’ to continue the tradition of pulling the Buddha image.
In Surat Thani Province, villagers and monks from Bang Khyaram Temple, Bang Chana Subdistrict, Mueang Surat Thani District, joined together to build a ‘Royal Boat of Phra’ to continue the tradition of the Phra Procession, Kathin Ceremony, and Long Boat Race in 2567. This year, 109 boats from various areas entered the competition on October 18, after the end of Buddhist Lent.
Phra Athikan Phuwanat Charuthammo, abbot of Wat
Bang Khyaram, said that this year the temple built the Phra Nom boats both on land and water after being absent from participating in the event for 3-4 years because the boats were previously damaged in an accident. After that, the temple lacked funds, and since it was during Covid, they did not build new Phra Nom boats. Until this year, villagers and various companies and shops with faith agreed to contribute the budget and join in building the Phra Nom boats, which has now been successfully completed.
For the Phra Non boat of Wat Bang Khyaram, it is made as a Naga because the temple has been close to the river for almost 100 years. The unique feature of every Phra Non boat is the stairway to heaven, which is the Naga stairway, which means when the Lord Buddha descended from the Tavatimsa heaven to visit his mother on the first waning day of the lunar month. There is also a ‘Busabok’ which is the place where the Buddha image in the alms-carrying posture is enshrined, representing the Lord Buddha.
Those int
erested in seeing the Phanom Phra boats at the traditional boat pulling, phaapaa offering, and long-boat racing festival in Surat Thani Province, according to the event slogan ‘Worship the Buddha at a Hundred Temples, Receive Holy Water from a Hundred Bowls, a One-Day Miracle’, can join the event from October 14-22. The Phanom Phra boats will be parked at the Naris Bridge on the banks of the Tapi River in Surat Thani Municipality.
Source: Thai News Agency