Over the weekend I went to take pictures at a Honey Offering Ceremony at Wat Khan Lad in Phra Pradaeng. I have never heard about this event before though apparently it takes place every year. Officially it should take place on the full moon day of the 10th lunar month which is around September. However, they decided to move it forward this year to make it more convenient.
As well as the Honey Offering Ceremony, the local people were also celebrating the Mon Culture. These people were originally from Burma but settled here hundreds of years ago. I am told that offering honey is an old Mon tradition where the local people dress in their traditional clothes and come to the temple to offer honey to the monks. They do this in order to make merit.
Honey has always been important in many different religions including Buddhism. This dates back to a time when the Buddha was meditating in a forest. He was in need of nourishment and an elephant and a monkey brought him fruit and honey. This event is celebrated in Buddhism around the world on the full moon day in September. There is also a Buddha image depicting this scene with the Buddha sitting in Western style.
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