Buddhist Lent - A Mandatory Diet Spell For Orange-clad Baldies

Buddhist Lent: Rain, Restraint, and Really Good Candles

So you’re in Thailand during the rainy season, and someone mentions it’s the start of Buddhist Lent. You pause, confused. “Wait... monks give up chocolate too?” Not quite. This isn’t a diet plan. This is Vassa, a three-month period of reflection, rain, and religious devotion, and it’s kind of a big deal.

It begins on Asalha Bucha Day, which commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon. The next day kicks off the actual Lent, known as Khao Phansa. This is when monks retreat to their temples, stay put, and meditate like champions. Why? Because it’s monsoon season, and 2,500 years ago it was considered poor form to go trampling through farmers' rice fields in the mud while trying to spread wisdom.

So for three lunar months, monks don’t travel nor do they make their rounds for alms in the mornings. They deepen their practice, and laypeople join in by making merit such as offering food, robes, and what appears to be an absolutely unreasonable number of giant wax candles. Seriously, Thai people will roll up to the temple with a candle the size of a telephone pole. Symbolically, it represents light and wisdom. Practically, it’s great for Instagram.

People also use this time to give things up: smoking, alcohol, bad behavior, annoying their grandmothers, to name but a few. It’s like a moral detox with umbrellas. Some brave souls even ordain as temporary monks during this period, usually prompting their friends to say, “Wait, you?”

Then, after three months of rain, reflection, and resisting fried chicken, Buddhist Lent ends with Ok Phansa (pronounced ok, not okay). This is the grand finale. Monks can travel again, people celebrate with more ceremonies, and in some parts of Thailand, locals launch elaborately decorated boats or rockets, because apparently inner peace should go out with a bang.

It’s a beautiful time, quiet, meaningful, and full of tradition. Just don’t forget your umbrella. And if you see someone carrying a candle larger than their scooter, don’t be alarmed. It’s just Buddhist Lent. This is also the time when a number of tourists and expats alike moan because no alcohol is sold for 24 hours. This is obviously a deal breaker for some, so they stock up beforehand or get some of their favorite brew from their local mom and pop shop where they care more about making an extra buck than anything else.