The arrival of the seasonal monsoon rains marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent, during which all Buddhist monks retreat to the temples. Known as "Khao Phansa", the Buddhist "rain retreat" is a time devoted to the study of Buddhist scriptures and the teachings of the Lord Buddha, and meditation. Buddhist monks remain within the temple grounds and do not venture out for a period of three months starting from the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month (in July) to the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month (in October).
In a symbolic gesture that keeps this time-honoured ancient tradition alive, Buddhist devotees throughout the country present to the various temples their merit-making offerings in the form of bundles of wax candles — the source of light that enables the monks to continue their study late into the evening.
The annual candle festival and procession in Ubon Ratchathani province is the most established in the kingdom. However, these customs and traditions related to the observance of the Buddhist Lent have been practiced by local communities throughout the kingdom for centuries.
In addition to promoting and preserving an ancient Buddhist tradition, the provincial authorities and residents of Surin are staging the Surin Buddhist Lenten Candle Procession and Aiyara Elephant Parade to mark the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 83rd birthday anniversary in 2010.
The province of Surin, home to a population of some 1,000 domesticated elephants, has its own unique version of the candle procession. The procession of Buddhist Lenten candles to be presented to temples as merit-making offerings will be accompanied by a parade of elaborately decorated elephants.
The majority of the residents of Surin province who are mahouts are descendants of the legendary "Kui" tribe (or "Suay" in Thai), noted for their elephant-herding expertise in times past. The Kui tribespeople are thought to have migrated from Cambodia to settle largely in the northeastern provinces near the Cambodian border. Known for their expertise in capturing, domesticating and training wild elephants, the life-long relationship of the mahout with his elephant is an integral element of Kui culture, tradition and the way of life. The elephant is his companion and a family member.
The Kui mahouts (elephant handlers) tended to and trained elephants for use throughout the ancient Thai kingdom and have great respect for their elephants.
The tradition of adorning elephants with elaborate decoration and twinkling fairy lights during special royal or temple ceremonies has also existed since ancient times.
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JULY 25 (Sunday)
09.00 am onwards
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The holy relics of Lord Buddha are installed at the ceremonial pavilion in front of the Surin City Hall lawn.
Various activities and contests such as the Buddhist Chanting Contest, the altar contest, the dhamma recitation contest, and other activities, such as a Thai Music Contest in honour of His Majesty the King, are staged through the day. |
15.00 onwards |
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Opening ceremony at the Phraya Surin Pakdee Sri Narong Changwang Monument |
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Surin Buddhist Lenten Candle Procession and Aiyara Elephant Parade to mark the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s 83 rd birthday anniversary in 2010. |
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Wien Tien candle-lit procession
At the temporary ceremonial pavilion constructed in front of Surin City Hall
During this candle-lit ceremony, worshippers, each clasping three incense sticks, a lit candle and lotus buds, circles around the ceremonial pavilion housing the holy relics in a clockwise direction, three times. |
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JULY 26 (Monday)
07.00 am
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On this special occasion, Buddhist monks from the various temples around Surin will ride on elephant-back to make their alms rounds through the streets of Surin to accept merit-making offerings presented by local residents and visitors. |
OTHER ATTRACTIONS NEAR SURIN TOWN
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Wat Bupharam
Wat Bupharam is an old temple believed to be built by Phraya Surin Pakdee Sri Narong Changwang, the first provincial governor of Surin. It is estimated to be approximately 200 years old. Wat Bupharam was designated to be a royal temple in February 1977. The temple houses the highly-revered Luang Phor Phra Chi Buddha image, a seated Buddha image in the Mara Vijaya posture, (Victory over Mara or Subduing Mara, the demon). |
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Phanom Sawai Forest Park
Situated in the Na Bua sub-district of Surin, the Phanom Sawai Forest Park sits on a small hill with three peaks. Phanom Sawai Temple is situated on the first peak, the 210-metre Khao Chai, also known as Phanom Proh. The temple houses the Phra Buddha Surinthara Mongkhon Buddha image, a huge Buddha image constructed with bricks and concrete.
Khao Ying or Phanom Sarai, the second peak, is 228 metres in height. A medium-sized Buddha image sits on its peak.
Khao Khok or Phanom Krol, the third peak, is home to a pavilion with eight porticos. Constructed by the Buddhist Society of Surin on the occasion of the Rattanakosin Bicentennial celebrations, the pavilion houses a replica of a Buddha footprint. |
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BAAN THA SAWANG SILK-WEAVING VILLAGE
Located in the sub-district of Tha Sawang in Amphoe Mueang, the Surin provincial centre, Baan Tha Sawang is famous for its silk brocades, hand-woven from delicate silk threads called “Mai Noi”. These are woven according to ancient designs such as Thep Phanom, Hing Hoi Chomsuan, Kankod Thepram.
The village of Baan Tha Sawang gained fame for its silk when the APEC conference hosted in Bangkok in 2003 commissioned it to weave silk outfits for the final-day group photo of world leaders in Thai national dress. Tha Sawang wove intricate silk brocade especially for the event, with four workers in unison producing barely an inch of cloth each day.
Although Surin is known for Khmer-style fabric designs (typically, stripes, checks and also small patterned mudmee and uniquely dark hues), here in Thasawang, Thai silk achieves its highest quality. The locals use a technique similar to weaving damasks from a French-style jacquard loom. However, this is done manually with a process that requires not just four people to operate, but a three-metre high loom, plus a one-metre pit to allow space for a worker jigging the heddles. Even more daunting, each loom is exclusively to one design. To create a new pattern, you must actually build a new loom.
In Thasawang, it is not uncommon to hear stories of 16 weavers working four months to finish just two yards of exquisite fabric. However, actual timing can be even longer — depending on the harvest season. |
Contact information:
Tourism Authority of Thailand, Surin Office
Tel: +66 (0) 4451 4447-8, (0) 4451 8529
Fax: +66 (0) 4451 8530
E-mail: tatsurin@tat.or.th
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