Phatarawadee
Phataranawik The Nation July 27, 2015
Saraburi's
unique Tak Bat Dok Mai ceremony, which marks the beginning of the
rains retreat, risks being overshadowed by commercialism
THOUSANDS OF BUDDHISTS in the
Central province of Saraburi will be up and about before the sun on
Wednesday, busying themselves preparing dried foods and rice to
offer to 3,000 monks in the annual merit-making ceremony known as
Tak Bat Dok Mai.
Wat
Phra Phutthabat, about 30 kilometres from Saraburi town, has long
been famous for the way it marks the beginning of Vassa, the
three-month annual Buddhist lent retreat observed by Theravada
monks and nuns. The temple is highly revered in Thailand because it
houses a footstep of the Buddha and every year in the late
afternoon, as part of the ritual, the monks climb the steps of the
temple to pay their respects to the footprint.
For their part, the faithful offer food to the monks early in the
morning and return later in the day to present them with dok khao
phansa - yellow and white flowers that bloom only in the weeks
leading up the Buddhist lent - along with candles and to wash their
feet in a gesture symbolic of washing away their sins. During
Vassa, monks and nuns remain inside monasteries and temple grounds,
devoting their time to intensive meditation and study.
The unique Tak Bat Dok Mai and Royal Candle Festival is a firm part
of the cultural heritage of Phra Phutthabat district, and has been
practised since the Ayutthaya period.
Back then, it was a simple and touching rite. Today, though, the
merit making, while undoubtedly sincere, is also a major tourist
attraction.
Traditionally held on the day following the full moon in July - the
beginning of Vessa - which this year falls on Friday, the festival
is now a three-day affair, beginning on Wednesday and running
through Friday.
"Traditionally, we held Tak Bat Dok Mai on one day, but now the
merit making takes three days and is very much focused on Buddhist
business," says Saraburi native and devout Buddhist Supot
Mahabohisat.
"When I was young, I climbed Suwan Banbhot mountain to collect dok
khao phansa to offer to the monks. We never spent money buying the
flowers. Today it's a business. The villagers here plant them and
you can easily buy them in front of the temple," adds the
65-year-old Phra Phuthabat native. "Even 40 years ago, the merit
making was very basic. We would offer the dok khao phansa in the
late afternoon. Now it's being done twice a day, both in the
morning and afternoon."
Supot is not against business. Indeed, for the last two decades, he
has been one of the dozens of vendors selling amulets and other
devotional items within the temple grounds.
He is not, however, keen on the way the festival has been adapted
to benefit the tourist industry nor on the promotion it receives to
draw more visitors, as manifested in the Tourism Authority of
Thailand's call to "witness the world's largest and Thailand's only
Tak Bat Dok Mai and Royal Candle Festival".
The one-day event evolved into a three-day festival in 2001 to
accommodate the ever-increasing number of devotees making their way
to Saraburi to mark Vassa. Seven years later, the temple introduced
a massive merit-making ritual, leading to criticisms that it was
turning Buddhism into a business in much the same way as Pathum
Thani's Dhammakaya Temple, which also supports this event. A
notable difference is that Wat Phra Phuthabat offers the food it
receives to needy monks in the South.
"The massive merit making was initiated by the abbot Phra
Dhamabhidok in 2008 when Buddhist monks in the three southernmost
provinces were unable to go on their alms rounds because of the
insurgent attacks. The abbot offered all the food to monks living
in 323 temples in the south," Phianjai Rotjanasinwilai of Buddhist
group Saraburi Romyen tells XP.
But the festival is still big business, generating Bt180 million
for the province, according to provincial governor Vichien
Putthivinyu.
This year's merit making begins at 6am on Wednesday with the mass
alms giving to 3,000 monks. Phainjai says Saraburi has about 3,600
monks living in 500 temples and in 2008, 2,552 monks joined the
event. "The numbers increase every year," she adds.
The morning continues at 8.30am with the offering of 89 elaborately
carved candles to Phra Phutthabat temple. Then at 3pm, there's a
parade featuring cultural and floral floats. The official opening
ceremonies are set to begin at 5pm.
Designed accomodate tourists from around the world, there will be
two rounds of offering flowers to the monks on Asalha Bucha Day (on
Thursday) and Buddhist Lent Day (on Friday) at 9.30am and
3pm.
And in addition to the food, candles and other daily necessities
offered to the monks, a more recent twist is the giving of light
bulbs and LED torches to the monks, instead of candles. It's a
modern upgrade that has Supot wearing a frown.
"Although the festival benefits my business, I do worry that that
young generation will misunderstand our heritage of Tak Bat Dok
Mai," he says.