Bangkok Hosts Bee Castle Ceremony for Buddhist Lent Festival
The user wants a short summary (1-2 sentences, 120-220 chars, max 240) in English only. The article is about a Bee Castle Ceremony for Buddhist Lent Festival in Bangkok on Oct 25, 2026, at Wat Pathumwanaram. Key details: organized by Dept o
On Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 4:00 PM, the Department of Religious Affairs, Ministry of Culture, together with Wat Pathumwanaram and the Pathumwan District Office, organized the "Bee Castle Offering Ceremony as Buddhist Homage for 2026" to preserve the beautiful wisdom and culture of the Isaan-Lan Chang people during the End of Buddhist Lent festival, and to pay homage to the revered Buddha images Luang Por Phra Saen, Phra Saen, and Phra Sai, the sacred twin city Buddha images.
The event received blessings from Somdet Phra Yanawachirodom, abbot of Wat Pathumwanaram, as the ecclesiastical chairman, and Mr. Prasop Riangngoen, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, assigned Mr. Jedsada Chiwawichawalkul, Director-General of the Department of Religious Affairs, as the lay chairman, alongside the Pathumwan District Director, department executives, government agencies, private sector representatives, and a large gathering of Buddhists at Wat Pathumwanaram in Pathumwan District, Bangkok.
Key activities included the ceremony offering bee hives, bee flower garlands, and betel nut sets as Buddhist homage, musical and Mahoras dance performances, and a procession of bee castles from the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre to Wat Pathumwanaram. The bee castles then circled the ordination hall, stupa, assembly hall, and Bodhi tree three times before entering the assembly hall, accompanied by a candle-lighting ceremony worshiping the Triple Gem, paying respects to the abbot, reciting the bee castle offering verses, and performing the bee castle offering ceremony with monks chanting blessings. The event concluded with a Mahoras performance on the central stage in front of Wat Pathumwanaram.
Somdet Phra Yanawachirodom delivered a sermon appreciating the auspicious activity, stating it preserves cultural and religious values within Thai society while instilling gratitude, unity, and the conservation of local traditions for future generations.
The Department of Religious Affairs remains committed to continuously promoting and driving religious and cultural activities to foster faith and morality in the hearts of the people, alongside preserving, transmitting, and developing valuable cultural heritage, while creating opportunities for all sectors of the public to participate in transmitting Thai traditions and cultural ways of life to sustain the values and identity of Thainess within Thai society sustainably.
