Next month, Thailand will host a commemorative ceremony for Vesak, also known as Visakha Bucha Day. Over 3,500 monks from 50 different countries are expected to participate in the two-day celebration. The Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand has announced that the Vesak festivities will take place on June 1-2, 2023. The 18th edition of this event will be jointly organized by Maha Chulalongkorn Raja Vidyalaya University, the Sangha Supreme Council, and the Thai government.
The ceremony will commence on June 1 with an opening ceremony led by the Supreme Patriarch Ariyavongsagatanana, followed by seminars at Maha Chulalongkorn Raja Vidyalaya University in the afternoon. On June 2, Buddhist monks and devotees will gather at the United Nations headquarters on Ratchadamnoen Road for a ceremony led by Gen Surayud Chulanont, the president of the Privy Council. Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in prayers at Phutthamonthon in Nakhon Pathom province.
Suttipong Juljarern, the Permanent Secretary for Interior, has stated that the Interior Ministry will notify governors throughout Thailand to raise the national flag and the Buddhist flag to promote Vesak Day. He also encourages Thai Buddhists to engage in merit-making activities from June 1-7 and abstain from gambling during that period.
