What is MakhaBucha?

About MakhaBucha

• MakhaBucha Day (Magha Puja) is a religious celebration marking Lord Buddha’s teachings to his disciples.
• It is celebrated according to the traditional lunar calendar, on the day of the full moon of the third lunar month.
• The term makha comes from the word “Magha” in Pali and it refers to the third lunar month, while bucha can translate as “to worship,” both of which are derived from the Pali language used in Buddhist scripture.
• The term MakhaBucha refers to a day intended for worshiping on the third lunar month.
• The aim of this day is to purify one's mind and do only good. Some celebrate by offering food to monks and also attend candlelight processions in the evening.
• It is the first important religious festival in the Buddhist calendar, takes place in nations including Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, where the majority of Buddhists practice Theravada Buddhism, also known as “Buddhism of the south”.

Q1) What is Theravada Buddhism?

Theravada, meaning "Teaching of the Elders", is the most conservative and orthodox form of Buddhism. It emphasises attaining liberation from suffering through individual effort and meditation based on Buddha's earliest teachings in the Pali Canon. It believes in the historicity of a single Buddha, Gautama Shakyamuni.

Source: MakhaBucha Ceremony organized at SanamLuang Pavilion where Holy Relics from India are Enshrined