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Thailand’s 400-year-old festival takes a sacred Buddha into the water
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PHETCHABUN — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Sunday opened Phetchabun’s annual Um Phra Dam Nam festival , a centuries-old tradition centred on a revered Buddha image and local beliefs in good harvests, seasonal rainfall and protection from disease.
Key facts
- Anutin presided over the opening ceremony at 10.30 at the pier of Wat Bot Chana Man in Muang district, accompanied by his wife, Thananon Charnvirakul.
- PHETCHABUN — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Sunday opened Phetchabun’s annual Um Phra Dam Nam festival , a centuries-old tradition centred on a revered Buddha image and local beliefs in good harvests, seasonal rainfall and
- According to local legend, the tradition dates back more than 400 years, when a group of fishermen on the Pa Sak River failed to catch any fish throughout the day.
- The following year, on the waning 15th day of the 10th lunar month, the image disappeared
Summary
Anutin presided over the opening ceremony at 10.30 at the pier of Wat Bot Chana Man in Muang district, accompanied by his wife, Thananon Charnvirakul.
The festival centres on Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha, a sacred Buddha image regarded as a spiritual symbol of Phetchabun and an important part of the province’s cultural heritage. The annual ritual involves carrying the image into the water at Wang Makham Faeb, in front of Wat Bot Chana Man.