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Editors Note:  The following was written by a Monk in the Thai Buddhist Temple in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and was published in the February 2019 Temple news letter.  What Tampa celebrates Thai holiday based on a Sunday close to the actual date based on the lunar calendar.

Magh Puja Day is one of the most important Buddhist celebrations which falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month (about last week of February or early of March).

This day marks the great four events that took place during Lord Buddha's lifetime, namely:

1) 1250 Buddhist monks from different places came to pay homage to Lord Buddha at Valuwan Vihara in Rajgaha, the capital of Magaha State, each of his own initiative and without prior notification or appointment.

2)  All of them were enlightened monks (or Arahantas)

3)  Al of them had been individually ordained by Lord Buddha himself (Ehi Bhikkhu)

(4)  They assembled on the full moon day of the third lunar month.

On the evening of that day, Lord Buddha gave the assembly a discourse "Ovadha Patimokha" laying down the principles of His Teachings summarized into three parts, i.e., to do good, to abstain from bad action and to purify the mind.

Welcome to Wat Mongkolratanaram (also know as Wat Tampa). Happy New Year!

Let me start today by quoting to you a traditional Thai New Years wish: "By the power of the Buddhist Triple Gems: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha - May you and your family be blessed with good health, beautiful, prosperous, long life, and be successful in your career and in life for the New Year. May all of these blessings and all your wishes be fulfilled."

Makha Puja Day falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month. The date of all of the Thai festivals is based on the lunar calendar so the "American" dates vary from year to year. We will be celebrating Magha Puja Day at Wat Tampa on Sunday, February 09, 2020.

Makha Puja Day from a Monk's perspective

This ceremony marks two important dates in the life of Buddha. The first event occurred two years after Buddha’s enlightenment and is referred to as the Fourfold assembly. These events were:

• All 1,250 monks had achieved enlightenment.
• These monks were ordained by Buddha himself
• The monks assembled on their own without being called together.

The Songkarn Festival is cancelled

On Sunday, April 12, 2020  we celebrate the Songkarn Festival. You may know it by one of its "nicknames" – Thai New Year or the Water Festival.

It is a Thai tradition to give Alms offering to Monks. And in turn, you offer this good deed to relatives who passed away by wishing for them by pouring a small glass of water on a big tree and it is a very good deed and good luck for the beginning of a New Year. This year, as in earlier years there will be a ceremony of sprinkling the Buddha statues and Monks with flower pedals & perfumed water., and, of course, the congregation will also sprinkle perfumed water on each other for good luck and good health and a prosperous New Year. There will be Thai Vegetable and Thai food available.

For more information on Songkran also see the following articles:

•  Songkarn from a Monk's perspective
• The Songkarn Festival Story

Things to do on Songkarn:

• Do offer food alms to the Buddhist monks at the temple
• Do donate the merit on behalf of one's ancestors
• Do sprinkle water onto a Buddha image and the monks for good luck
• Do pour scented water onto the parents and elders hands for good luck and prosperity
• Do bring family members to visit grandparents.  It is a family day.
• Do clean up home and engage in volunteer work to clean public areas
• Do set birds and fish free for merit
• Do politely play with water for joy and to continue good traditions
• Do arrange the tradional plays to continue the cultural heritage

Visakha Puja Day is Cancelled

Visakha Puja Day is an important day in Buddhism.  We will celebrate Visakha Puja Day at Wat Tampa on Sunday, May 3, 2020

Visakha Puja Day marks the Buddhism Trinity or three important incidents occurred in the life of Lord Buddha on the same day. They happened on the same day on full moon of the sixth lunar month.

Cancelled:  Asalha Puja Day is one of the most sacred days in Buddhism. It is observed on the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eight lunar month (July).  This year it is celebrated at Wat Tampa on Sunday, July 5, 2020.

Asalha Puja Day is the anniversary of the day on which Lord Buddha delivered his first Sermon to his five Disciples at the Deer Park in Benares, over two thousand five hundred years ago. The day also marks the beginning of the worship of the Triple Gems, namely: the Lord Buddha, His Teachings and His Disciples. This day also is celebrated as Thai Father's day (King's birthday).

Cancelled We will be celebrating the King's birthday at Wat Tampa on Sunday, July 26, 2020.  This celebration will be held after the Sunday Market and the Sunday religious service.  This ceremony typically involves presentation of "symbolic" gifts for the King.  

Cancelled This year Thai Mothers Day will be celebrated on Sunday, August 09, 2020. Her Majesty, Queen Sirikit of Thailand was born on August 12th, 1932. Thai Mothers Day is a celebration of the Queen's birthday as well as to honor mothers everywhere. The Queen is the symbolic mother of Thailand and is honored as the "First Mother". For almost sixty years, the Queen has stood by the Thai nation dedicating her time and efforts to the common good. For all of her endless devotion the people of Thailand are grateful.

If the Temple sponsors the Thai Summer school in 2020, the graduation ceremony will also be held on August 9, 2020.  A complete list of events includess:

• Nuns will receive and observe the eight precepts to honor Her Majesty the Queen
• There will be a public ceremony honoring the Queen
• Thai Summer School Graduation Ceremony
• The summer school students will participate in Thai classical dancing and Music shows

Cancelled Sart Thai day will be celebrated at Wat Tampa on Sunday, September 6, 2020 this year. Sart Thai day falls in the middle of the traditional Thai year. It occurs on the fifteenth day of the waning moon of the tenth lunar month (sometime during September).

The word Sart, derived from the Pali language, means season and in particular autumn or fall. Sart Thai day is also referred to as Memorial Day. This is not Memorial Day as Americans might assume. In Thailand, Sart Thai is a time to remember dead relatives with prayers, Buddhist rituals, and merit making on their behalf. 

Cancelled This ceremony marks the end of Buddhist lent and is being celebrated at Wat Tampa on Sunday, October 4, 2020. This year the celebration will also include the Kathina Ceremony.

The first day of Thai Lent is referred to as Asalha Puja Day (or Commencement Day). This holiday will be celebrated at Wat Tampa on July 14 this year. The date of all of the Thai festivals is based on the lunar calendar so the "American" dates vary from year to year. You may also here Lent referred to as the "rains retreat."

Cancelled The Kathina Ceremony will be celebrated at Wat Tampa on Sunday October 18, 2020. This ceremony is the culmination of events that started with the "rains retreat" or start on Lent. The Kathina (or Royal Krathina) occurs shortly after the end of Lent for the reasons explained below.

During Lent (roughly the rainy season in Thailand) monks could not travel.The monks stayed overnight in the same temple for three lunar months. The Kathina ceremony originates from the time of Buddha. The original ceremony was for a group of monks traveling to meet Lord Buddha. They were unable to completed their journey before the beginning of the rains retreat (Lent). At the end of Lent they completed their journey. Their clothes had become soaked and dirty on their way to meet Lord Buddha. When Buddha saw their condition he allowed lay people to offer the monks yellow robes. The tradition of presenting robes to monks continues today in the Kathina ceremony.

Cancelled The Temple will celebrate the Memorial Ceremony on December 6, 2020 for Phra Mongkol Thepemolee. He founded Wat Tampa in the mid 1980's.  Details of the celebration will be updated when available.

Welcome to Wat Mongkolratanaram (also know as Wat Tampa). Happy New Year! Temnple will celebrate New years Day 2021 on January 1, 2021

Let me start today by quoting to you a traditional Thai New Years wish: "By the power of the Buddhist Triple Gems: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha - May you and your family be blessed with good health, beautiful, prosperous, long life, and be successful in your career and in life for the New Year. May all of these blessings and all your wishes be fulfilled."