AsiaRooms.com - Thailand prepares for Tak Bat Dok Mai

Tak Bat Dok Mai is coming up next month and offers travellers a chance to witness Thailand's culture up close.

The name of the occasion roughly translates as 'the merit-making festival' and signals the start of a three-month period of retreat and meditation for monks at Wat Phra Phutthabat.

Before they confine themselves to their monasteries, they will undertake a procession around the surrounding area.

For ordinary citizens in Thailand, the merit-making aspect of the event is a chance to improve their karma by offering gifts to the monks, such as flowers, food and candles.

Among the plants that are traditionally handed to the religious figures are Dok Yung Thong and Dok Hong Thong, or golden peacock and golden swan flowers.

Wat Phra Phutthabat means 'temple of Buddha's footprint' and the shrine where the deity is said to have stepped is where many of the celebrations are centred.

The free festival runs throughout the day from July 11th to 14th and the way in which it is celebrated is unique to the Saraburi province of Thailand.

If culture travellers are keen to find Thailand hotels, they could use AsiaRooms.com to browse a wide range of options, including the La Flora Resort & Spa in Khao Lak.

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