Buddhist Lent celebrated in Thailand and across borders

BANGKOK, July 22 (TNA) - Daylong celebrations marking the start of the annual three-month Buddhist Lent period on Monday have brought millions of people in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia into the streets for merit making. In the Thai-Lao border province of Nong Khai, city residents undertook a ceremony at Wat Pho Chai pouring candle wax into elaborate molds, which would be used for praying. In nearby Nakhon Phanom province, locals and tourists could be seen lining up a waterfront area of the Mekong River for alms giving under a light breeze. Cambodians also fluttered across the Thai border into Chanthaburi province to stock up on food supplies for Tuesday’s spiritual celebration of Asarnha Bucha Day – a day after the Buddhist Lent – with border trade seeing further gains. Buddhist monks refrain from spending the night outside their temples during the three-month Buddhist Lent period, or during the rainy season. (TNA)