Māgha Pūjā (also written asMakha Bucha Day,Meak Bochea) is aBuddhist festival celebrated on the full moon day ofthe third lunar month[7] in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka and on the full moon day ofTabaung in Myanmar. It is the second most importantBuddhist festival afterVesak; it celebrates a gathering that was held between the Buddha and 1,250 of his firstdisciples, which, according to tradition, preceded the custom of periodic recitation ofdiscipline by monks. On the day, Buddhists celebrate the creation of an ideal and exemplary community, which is why it is sometimes calledSaṅgha Day, theSaṅgha referring to the Buddhist community, and for some Buddhist schools this is specifically the monastic community.[8][1] In Thailand, thePāli termMāgha-pūraṇamī is also used for the celebration, meaning 'to honor on the full moon of the third lunar month'.[9] Finally, some authors referred to the day as theBuddhist All Saints Day.[10][11]
In pre-modern times, Māgha Pūjā has been celebrated by some Southeast Asian communities. But it became widely popular in the modern period, when it was instituted in Thailand byKing Rama IV in the mid-19th century. From Thailand, it spread to other South and Southeast Asian countries. Presently, it is a public holiday in some of these countries. It is an occasion when Buddhists go to the temple to performmerit-making activities, such asalms giving, meditation and listening to teachings. It has been proposed in Thailand as a more spiritual alternative to the celebration ofValentine's Day.
Māgha is derived from the name of the third month in the traditionalIndian lunar calendar, on which the celebration is held.[9] It is also the name ofa star, which during this period is close to the full moon.[12] Māgha Pūjā is held on the full moon day. In a leap year, the celebration will be postponed to the full moon day of the fourth lunar month.[9]
The meeting that is celebrated on Māgha Pūjā was held inVeḷuvana [th] grove, near Rājagaha (presentRajgir) in northern India
Māgha Pūjā day marks an event occurring at theVeḷuvana [th] grove, near Rājagaha (presentRajgir) in northern India,[1][13] ten months after theenlightenment of the Buddha. The traditional story goes that a meeting was held in the afternoon, that had four characteristics, known as thecāturaṅgasannipāta [th]:[14]
1,250 disciples came to see the Buddha that evening without being summoned;[1] These were mostly pupils from the Buddha's recently converted disciples, such as the threeKassapa brothers [th], and the monksSāriputta andMogallāna.[15]
All of them wereArahants, enlightened disciples;[7]
All had beenordained by the Buddha himself, and therefore were his direct spiritual descendants;[7][16]
Because of these four factors, Māgha Pūjā is also known as theFourfold Assembly Day. On this occasion, the Buddha taught thosearahants a summary of Buddhism, called theOvādapātimokkha.[1] In these, three principles were given:
"The non-doing of evil / the full performance of what is wholesome / the total purification of the mind."[17][18]
This is followed by a formulation of Buddhist ideals:[19]
Finally, the last stanza is about the path of religious practice:[19]
"Not abusing, not injuring, and restraint under therules of discipline, and knowing moderation in eating, and secluded lodgings, and exertion in respect of higher thought, this is the teaching of the awakened ones."[20]
According to thetraditional Pāli commentaries, the Buddha continued to teach this summary for a period of twenty years, after which the custom was replaced by the recitation of themonastic code of discipline by the Saṅgha themselves.[21] On Māgha Pūjā today, Buddhists celebrate the creation of an ideal and exemplary community.[1]
Māgha Pūjā is also the day that the Buddha is believed to have announced inVesālī that he would die (parinibbāna) in three months, and after the announcement a supernatural earthquake followed.[22] Moreover, In Sri Lanka, it is considered the day that the Buddha appointed his two main disciples, the monks Sāriputta and Moggallāna.[23][24] Apart from the religious meaning, Māgha Pūjā also reflects the Southeast Asian agricultural year, as it is celebrated after the harvest.[17]
Little is known on how traditional Buddhist societies celebrated this event in pre-modern times, but Māgha Pūjā was recognized and celebrated inLan Na,Lan Xang andNortheastern Thailand. Practices of worship probably varied a lot.[25] The first known instance in modern times was during the reign of the Thai kingRama IV (1804–68) who instituted it as a ceremony in 1851.[26] He reasoned that the Māgha Pūjā "... was an important gathering, a miracle in Buddhism. Wise and knowledgeable people have therefore used this opportunity to honour the Buddha and the 1,250arahants, which is a foundation offaith and asense of urgency".[27] He first held it inTemple of the Emerald Buddha, in the palace only. In the evening, 31 monks from the templesWat Bowonniwet Vihara andWat Ratchapradit would recite theOvādapātimokkha, lit lanterns around theubosot (ordination hall), and give a sermon about the sameOvādapātimokkha in the Pāli and Thai languages. The King or his representative would join the yearly ceremony.[28] A recitation text used for this occasion is attributed to Rama IV.[12] As part of an enduring effort to centralize and regularize Thai Buddhism, Rama IV's successorRama V (1853–1910) expanded the practice and organized it as a national celebration in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.[29] In 1913, he officially established it as a public holiday,[30] as he started to organize the ceremonies in other places than the palace.[27] By 1937, the ceremony was widely held and observed in Thailand, but by 1957, it had fallen out of usage.Supreme Patriarch-to-bePlod Kittisobhano [th] helped to revive it.[31] From Thailand, the practice spread to neighboring countries which have a majority ofTheravāda Buddhists.[32]
Māgha Pūjā is a day that laypeople makemerit.[note 1] This is usually done with a motivation to improve oneself in thecycle of existence.[38] Monastics and lay devotees will hold processions, light candles, attending preaching and makingofferings of food, as well asmeditating andBuddhist chants. Also, devotees will sometimesrelease animals from captivity.[39] Moreover, devotees uphold and reflect on thefive Buddhist moral precepts on this day, which includes avoiding intoxicants.[40] Māgha Pūjā is celebrated most extensively in Thailand,[41] but it is a national holiday in most Southeast Asian countries,[42] such as Laos and Myanmar.[43]
In Thailand, Māgha Pūjā is designated as a national holiday,[44][41] on which sale of alcohol has been strictly prohibited since 2015.[45][46] On the evening of Māgha Pūjā, urban temples in Thailand hold a candlelight procession andcircumambulation around the mainubosot called awian thian (wian meaning to circle around;thian meaning candle).[47] Furthermore, people will make merit by going to temples and by joining in with activities.[48] Other popular ways to spend one's time in the week of Māgha Pūjā, as found in a 2019 poll by theSuan Dusit University [th] among 5,335 respondents of different ages:[49]
Way to spend time
Percent (self-reported)
To give alms to monks
56%
To make merit
55%
To abstain from entertainment, nightlife or gambling
48%
To persuade friends and family to visit the temple together
At times, special events are also held, such as a recital of the entireBuddhist scriptures and ceremonies for avowing oneself as a Buddhist lay person.[50] TheDhammakaya Temple is particularly known for its visually grand celebration.[51][52]
InNorthern Thailand, Māgha Pūjā was only introduced in the 1960s, by a monk calledPaññananda Bhikkhu. It is generally given less attention than in Central Thailand, due to the influence of theCentral Ecclesiastical Council being less in the North. The candle procession has only become associated with Māgha Pūjā in the 1990s. In Northern and Northeastern Thailand,Buddhist relics are usually worshiped during the Māgha period.[53]
A youth program held in Thailand. The youth are joining in with a Māgha Pūjā celebration.
In 2003, aparliamentary question was raised byPremsak Phiayura [th], House of Representatives, requesting a Day of Gratitude, to express the importance of gratitude in Thai history and culture.Uraiwan Thianthong [th], the thenMinister of Culture, felt this was unnecessary, since "there are quite a lot of occasions" in the Thai calendar to express gratitude.[54] However, in 2006, thegovernment of Thailand made an announcement that Māgha Pūjā should from then on be celebrated as a "national day of gratitude".[48] This was intended as an alternative toValentine's Day, in which Thai youth often aim to lose their virginity.[48] Māgha Pūjā was therefore presented as a day of spiritual love and gratitude instead.[48] To what extent Thai people are well informed about Māgha Pūjā is in dispute: in 2017, theNational Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) held a poll among 1,250 subjects of diverse backgrounds and found that 58 percent of Thai did not know why Māgha Pūjā was important in Buddhism, and 75 percent did not know it had been branded as a day of gratitude.[55] However, the Dusit poll showed that 75 percent of the respondents was able to tell that Māgha Pūjā was the day the Buddha taught theOvādapātimokkha to his disciples, and 66 percent knew that it was the day that 1,250 of the Buddha's disciples came together spontaneously.[49]
In Cambodia, various celebrations are held during the Māgha Pūjā day. Ceremonies are held atPreah Reach Trop Mountain, for example, which are joined by 30,000 to 50,000 people, as of 2019; as well asalms offerings onOudong Hill, which are joined yearly by thousands of people. On the day, devotees make merit, cook meals for elderly people or their parents, and clean up their houses. Since the late 2010s, the day has become more popular among youth, and morepagodas are organizing ceremonies.[56] In May 2019, the Cambodian Ministry of Information proposed a ban of advertising of alcohol on Māgha Pūjā andVesak.[57] Meanwhile, Prime MinisterHun Sen and the Ministry of Cults and Religion have promoted activities on the day, and education for youths about it.[58] However, in August 2019, local media reported theCambodian government removed Māgha Pūjā from the list of national holidays to increase the country's competitiveness, because the number of holidays had become too high.[59]
In Myanmar, Māgha Pūjā (Burmese:တပေါင်းလပြည့်နေ့) is observed on thefull moon day ofTabaung, the final month of theBurmese calendar.[43][60] Furthermore, tradition has it that a king ofUkkalapa completed the building of theShwedagon Pagoda and enshrined the hair of the Buddha in it on this day.[61] Fifteen days before this full moon day, the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival is held, on which a ceremony is held for offerings to the28 Buddhas (fromTaṇhaṅkara toGotama Buddha), followed by a 10-day continuous recital of Buddhist texts.[43][62] Burmese devotees make merits and meditate during this period, and inMandalay and the North,sand pagodas are made in honor of the Buddha.[63] Other pagoda festivals are held in this period, including the Shwe Settaw Pagoda Festival in theMagwe Region'sMinbu Township and the Alaungdaw Kathapa Pagoda Festival, near theAlaungdaw Kathapa National Park in theSagaing Region.[64][65] TheBotahtaung Pagoda and theSule Pagoda are also much visited.[66] Furthermore, theKyaiktiyo Pagoda is very popular, and thousands of candles are lit around the boulder below the pagoda.[67]
In Sri Lanka, Māgha Pūjā is also observed.[23][68] In the evening, a procession (Sinhala language:perahera) with approximately 5,000 people and many elephants is held, calledGangarama Navam. This tradition started in Sri Lanka in the 1980s, and lasts for two days. Monks walk in the procession as well, chantingparitta texts. Dancers from multiple religious traditions perform during the walk.[69]
Chinese communities celebrate a similar festival.[43] In addition, Māgha Pūjā has become a popular event among Buddhist converts in the West, who consider it a day of exchanging gifts.[70]
Chotrul Duchen, a festival celebrated in Tibet as an Uposatha day and falls on around the same day as Māgha Pūjā
First Full Moon Festival, a festival celebrated in China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam as anUposatha day and to mark the end of the Lunar New Year, falling on or around the same day as Māgha Pūjā
^In Buddhism, merit is a "beneficial and protective force which extends over a long period of time"—and is the effect of good deeds (Pali:kamma,Sanskrit:karma) done through physical action, words, or thought.[33][34] Internally, merit makes the mind happy and virtuous.[35][36] Externally, present good circumstances, such as a long life, health and wealth, as well as the character and abilities someone is born with, arise from merits done in the past and vice versa, with demerits.[33][37]
^SeeBhaskar (2009, pp. 259–60),Ling & Axelrod (1979, p. 70) andPolsompop, Thawee (11 March 2018).มาฆบูชา [Māgha Pūjā].Matichon (in Thai). Retrieved22 January 2019. Only the last source mentions Vesālī and the earthquake.
^abPrawat Kanprakop Phiti Makha Buchaประวัติการประกอบพิธีมาฆบูชา [History of holding the Māgha Pūjā celebration]. Office for the Development of National Identity. 1981. Archived fromthe original on 2 May 2017.เป็นการประชุมใหญ่ และเป็นการอัศจรรย์ในพระพุทธศาสนา นักปราชญ์จึงได้ถือเอาเหตุนั้น ประกอบการสักการบูชาพระพุทธเจ้าและพระอรหันต์ ๑,๒๕๐ พระองค์นั้น ให้เป็นที่ตั้งแห่งความเลื่อมใสและสังเวช
^For the celebration in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, seeMelton (2011, pp. 538, 699, Māgha Pūjā Day, Ploughing Day). For the centralization, seeSwearer (2001, p. 202).
Cate, Sandra; Lefferts, Leedom (2006),"Laos"(PDF), in Riggs, Thomas (ed.),Worldmark Encyclopedia of Religious Practices, vol. 2,Thomson Gale,ISBN978-0-7876-6613-2, archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2017-03-02, retrieved2019-10-13
Tetsunori, Koizumi; 幸泉, 哲紀; コイズミ, テツノリ (25 March 2004),Adoption and Adaptation of an Imported Culture: Buddhism in Thailand and Korea, Ryukoku University Institute for International Society and Culture, pp. 179–94,hdl:10519/2339
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