
Asanha Bucha
The holiday of Asana Bucha (also known as Asalha Puja or Dhamma Day) is celebrated in Thailand, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Laos, Myanmar, and other areas with populations of Theraveda Buddhists. Asana Bucha remembers the day when Buddha preached his first sermon on the “Four Noble Truths’ from which all of his subsequent teachings stemmed. It also marks the day he established the Buddhist monkhood and the beginning of “Buddhist lent” which runs from July to October.
Celebrants of Asanha Bucha visit temples to listen to sermons, chant, and pay homage to the monks – often leaving gifts of flowers and candles for them. For some this day is known as the day before monks enter the monkhood for the rainy season. Many cultures also celebrate with candle-lit processions in the evening.
Let’s pray for Buddhist peoples:
- Ask God that Buddhists would come to know Jesus as The Truth through which they can be made right with God (John 14:6).
- Pray that Buddhists would hear the Message that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” (1John 1:5)
- Pray that as followers of Jesus speak boldly for the Lord, He will bear witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. (Acts 14:3)
LEARN ABOUT OTHER FESTIVALS AND HOLIDAYS
THE FESTIVAL OF COLORS
… bright, powdered pigments that are a trademark of this festival… LEARN MORE
THE NIGHT OF POWER
…the night when Mohammed is thought to have begun receiving the Quran … LEARN MORE
VESAK
A celebration Buddha’s birthday … LEARN MORE