Buddhism in the Thai Yearly Cycle
The Buddhist year is marked by a series of important festivals and celebrations, in honour either important events in the life of the Lord Buddha or of the seasons that have traditionally governed the life of ordinary Thais.

Songkran. The traditional and solar New Year festival begins on April 13 and usually ends on April 15. also known as the water festival, Songkran is a time for honouring elderly people and the dead, reflecting on the past, washing away demerits that have accumulated and looking to the future. Early on the first day, people in their new clothing go to the local wat to offer food the monks. At a long table in the compound, on which monks, alms bowls stand in a row, the celebrants take turns putting boiled rice into the bowls and food, fruits and sweetmeats into the covers of the bowls. Later in the day, other events take place at the wat: there is a bathing ceremony for the Buddha images, people bring buckets of sand and build small pagoda in a clearing, and a religious service called Bangsukun is performed in memory of the dead whose ashes have been deposited in the temple.
Apart from this solemn ceremony, Songkran is a time of joy and merriment. People throw water on one another, release birds and fish to make merit, and pay respect to and ask blessings from their elders.

Visakha Puja. This most important Buddhist festival falls on the day of the last full moon in May and celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, all of which took place in the month of Visakha. Devout Buddhists participate in the Uposatha service on this day, customarily proceeding ground the ordination hall carrying lit candles, incense sticks and flowers. In north-eastern Thailand, honoring the Buddha is associated with the coming rainy season, which mean so much to farmers. The rocket festival in that region occurs on or near Visakha Puja in the hope that the firing of the rockets will anger the rain spirits so that they will send down heavy rains. As at Songkran, the religious festival is not wholly solemn but rather a time of fun for all.

Khao Phansa. The beginning of Vassa (the rain retreat in Pali) is the next important annual Buddhist festival. This is time when monks and laymen alike renew their commitment to follow the precept of Buddhism. For the following three months of the rainy season the monks will remain in their home wat, intensifying their study and meditation. Laymen participate in the festival by making food offerings and also by presenting especially prepared candles, sometimes gigantic and elaborately carved in Buddhist themes, which are carried to the wat in a grand procession.