Another year, another Buddhist lent finishes

This past week marked the end of the Buddhist period of Lent, and visitors to Thailand with the good fortune to stumble across some of the festivities and ceremonies will no doubt have some great photos to show the folks back home. But what will you be able to tell them about the holiday?

The days Thais call Tak Bat Tay-Wo and Auk Pansa mark the end of the Buddhist lent. On these days certain prominent temples are crowded with devotees presenting gifts of food to the monks, hoping the alms will bring they and their families luck for the year between now and the next Auk Pansa.

For the monks, the three-month period that coincides with the rainy season is a time to stay in their home temple on 'retreat'. The last day of lent, Auk Pansa, is marked on the day of the increasing full moon, falling usually in late October (the 15th day of the 11th month in the lunar calendar). The next day is Tay-Wo, where the food is given to the monks. This period is represented mythologically in Thailand as the three months Buddha went to heaven to pontificate to his mother.