At the start of the following month, Thailand will organize a ceremony honoring Vesak, or Visakha Bucha Day. Over 3,500 monks from 50 different nations are expected to attend.
The Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand has declared that the Vesak celebrations will officially take place on June 1–2, 2023, according to the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT). Maha Chulalongkorn Raja Vidyalaya University, the Sangha Supreme Council, and the Thai government will collaborate to arrange the event’s 18th edition.
The event will begin on June 1 and run through June 5. The Supreme Patriarch Ariyavongsagatanana will preside over the opening ceremony, which will be followed by lectures at Maha Chulalongkorn Raja Vidyalaya University in the afternoon.
Buddhist monks and followers will assemble at the UN building on Ratchadamnoen Road on June 2nd for a ceremony presided over by Gen Surayud Chulanont, president of the Privy Council. Participants may also participate in prayers in Phutthamonthon in the province of Nakhon Pathom.
In order to promote Vesak Day, the Interior Ministry will inform governors around Thailand to hoist both the national flag and the Buddhist flag, according to Permanent Secretary for the Interior Suttipong Juljarern. Additionally, he exhorts Thai Buddhists to engage in merit-generating activities from June 1–7 and abstain from gambling.
Notes that, in order to observe the sacred occasion, alcohol sales are prohibited countrywide, and entertainment venues must be closed from Friday night through Saturday/Sunday morning at midnight on the actual Vesak day, June 3rd.
This means that on June 3rd, all bars and alcohol sales will be closed for a full 24 hours. Yes, this will affect both Friday and Saturday night the following weekend. However, some venues might decide to open on Friday before the shutdown, while others might decide to open on Sunday morning after midnight when the closure expires.
