Another colourful Thai event to mark Khao Phansa, the start of the Buddhist rainy season retreat is tak bat dok mai, floral almsgiving which takes place at the beautiful Wat Phra Phutthabat in Saraburi.

The special annual event has become so popular that it is now held twice a day for two days in order to accommodate the huge crowds that come to make merit.

As the monks walk towards the temple, the faithful put flowers, candles and incense in the alms bowls and pour water on the monks’ feet.

The saffron robed monks continue their route, up the steps to the hilltop temple where they pay respects in the ornate mondop which houses a footprint of Buddha. It’s refreshing to see merit making that involves the simple giving of flowers rather than money which has become all too prevalent in Buddhism.

Last week I was in Ayutthaya for Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent. Often referred to as the rainy season retreat, it is a period when monks remain within the temples and devote themselves to study and meditation.

This starts on the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month in July until the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month in October, known as Ok Phansa. This year that’s July 22 until 19th October.

At the small klong-side village of Lad Chado, a 40-minute drive from Ayutthaya, Khao Phansa is celebrated with a colourful floating procession in which candles and Buddha images are taken to the local temple.

There’s an air of celebration about the event and the entire village gets involved. This year it was promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and attracted hundreds of visitors from Bangkok.

I also spent an evening at old temples in Ayutthaya photographing candlelit processions, and tak bat dok mai or floral almsgiving at a temple in Saraburi. More on those later in the week. I was at the events with Richard Barrow who is an invaluable source of information on events in Thailand.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Royal Barge Procession in Bangkok last week on what was, unfortunately, a very overcast day. It was the first time the event has been held for five years, and was part of the celebrations to mark the king’s 85th birthday.

The Royal Barge Procession is one of the country’s grandest ceremonies but is rarely held and reserved for auspicious occasions. The ancient tradition, which is thought to date back to the 14^th century and the Ayutthaya period, died out in 1932 with the dissolution of Thailand’s absolute monarchy. However, it was revived in 1959 by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty and the longest reigning monarch in Thai history.  During this time the event has only been held on 16 occasions.

The grand spectacle includes 51 historic barges and the 44-metre royal barge, known as the Narai Song Suban or golden swan which was constructed for HM King Bhumibol in 1994, all manned by 2,082 oarsmen.

The procession travels along the Chao Phraya, also known as the River of Kings, carrying the revered Buddha image, Phra Buddha Sihing, and members of the royal family stopping at Wat Arun where they present offerings of saffron robes, food and other necessities to monks.

Throughout the year, the collection of exquisitely carved boats can be seen at the Royal Barge Museum at Bangkok Noi.