Temple Fair Parade

The annual Temple Fair in Samut Prakan kicked off early this morning with the parade through town. The fair at Phra Samut Chedi has been going on now for 182 years which I believe makes it the longest running temple fair in Thailand. Certainly one of the oldest. In the olden days, people would come down from Bangkok by boat. Back then, this temple used to be in the middle of the river. These days it is now on the West Bank but the fair is still as popular.

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Sacred Red Cloth Ceremony

Today saw the start of the 182nd Phra Samut Chedi Temple Fair in Samut Prakan. This takes place every year five days after the full moon in October. It goes on for twelve days and twelve nights and includes mandy sideshow games as well as a lot of really delicious food. The event started today with a parade of the sacred red cloth through the towns of Samut Prakan and Phra Pradaeng.

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Traditional Sports Festival

The Temple Fair in Samut Prakan has now reached its fourth day. Today is the 8th day of the waning moon of the 11th lunar month. On this day every year, the local people from Phra Samut Chedi District come together to compete in various traditional games. The event was presided over by Mr. Surachai Khanasa, the Governor of Samut Prakan.

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Candlelight Procession at Phra Samut Chedi

On the evening of the fourth day of the Phra Samut Chedi Temple Fair, it is traditional for the local people to come together to take part in chanting and a candlelight procession around the pagoda. This happens every year and it is always a beautiful sight. The best way to come to this temple is by ferry boat from Paknam Market.

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Vegetarian Festival in Samut Prakan

Today marks the start of the Vegetarian Festival in Thailand. In Samut Prakan it runs from 17th to 27th October 2009. We went to Thong Siang Vegetarian House in Samut Prakan to watch this opening ceremony. The event was a signal for the nine Gods to come down to earth. Something similar happened all over Thailand today. During the following ten days, people will keep a strict vegetarian diet and also obey ten basic rules which will help cleanse their mind and body.

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