tradition of soaking in the B80m
The custom of” Um Phra Dam Nam”, meaning” the cleaning of a Buddha picture”, in Phetchabun is expected to bring 200, 000 customers, generating about 80 million ringgit over the course of the 10-day event, which starts this Friday.
According to Mr. Seksan Niyompeng, president of Muang Phetchabun city, the celebration is exclusive to the area and is held every year on the first day of the new sun on the 10th solar quarter, which falls on October 2 this year.
The provincial government will travel by boat with the statue of Phra Phuttha Maha Dhamma Racha from Wat Tri Phum in Muang neighborhood to perform the ceremony. He will fall the statue from Wat Bot Chanamarn’s wharf into the ocean with the ship. About a kilometer aside, the two churches are.
According to Mr. Seksan, the custom has been kept alive for more than 500 times. The Ministry of Culture designated the meeting as a regional ethnic heritage item in 2023.
” For this year, marking the special celebration of His Majesty the King’s 72nd day, the Buddha picture plunging ceremony will be held nine days, instead of the typical six occasions, to mark the sacred occasion”, said Mr Seksan.
According to legend, the custom began when a Buddha picture was discovered in the Pasak River. No one could catch any fish on a weird time like today.
Next the once-bright horizon turned black, bringing in storms and storm. Eddies formed in the valley, creating a vortex. Instead of falling to the riverbank, the iron statue of a seated bronze Buddha statue was raised by the vortex. The picture, 46 centimetres high and 33cm large, was enshrined in Wat Tri Phum after it was found.
The Buddha figure was dubbed Phra Phuttha Maha Dhamma Racha by some. The statue, but, suddenly vanished on the tenth sky of the year after being discovered in its original location in the river.
The locals next organised a yearly event to transfer the picture to the valley in the hope of receiving the gift of presence, nature’s harmony, joy, and maintain the country free from epidemics, said Mr Seksan.
The place where it was discovered is now Wat Bot Chanamarn, where the ceremony takes place.
” The Buddha legislation is regarded as the most revered in the province”, he said.
Next year the festival attracted about 150, 000 people during the 10-day occurrence, with an average spend of 500 ringgit per man, generating about 50 million baht for the business of the state. He predicted that the event will attract more attendees this year because it has recently become popular among celebrities and online influencers.
” We expect to welcome 200, 000 people to our ceremony this year, generating up to 80 million baht during the event”, he said.
According to Wisan Khositanon, president of the Phetchabun Provincial Cultural Council, the Phra Phuttha Maha Dhamma Racha statue holds a pot of medicine or holy water as a sign of healing.
According to Mr. Wisan, people believe that Phra Phuttha Maha Dhamma Racha’s prayer and request for blessings can help people recover from illnesses and achieve success in their careers and lives. He claimed that in the past, the ceremony’s main focus was on faith.
However, the story of this Buddha image has recently been presented more often in relation to healing, which has sparked attention, particularly among celebrities. The ceremony then attracts sizeable crowds and aids in advancing the province’s tourism, he said.
A 3, 000-person traditional dance procession will take place at Phutta Utthayan Phetchabura Park between Sept. 27 and Oct. 6. The governor of Wat Tri Phum will invite the Phuttha Maha Dhamma Racha statue to a procession through the city on October 1 at 9:09 am.
” The aim is for the public to pay respect to the Buddha statute”, he said.
On October 2, at 10 o’clock at 10 o’clock, the” Um Phra Dam Nam” ceremony will take place at the Wat Bot Chanamarn on Pa Sak River.
He added that “another way to look at the tradition would be to use old wisdom to preserve clean water and promote community harmony.”