Lantern Offering on Visakha Bucha Day

"Lantern Offering for Visakha Bucha" is a significant tradition on Visakha Bucha Day that many people may not be aware of. Most people are familiar with Visakha Bucha Day as a time for candlelit processions, merit-making, and almsgiving. However, there is another important ritual associated with this day, especially within the royal court, known as "Lantern Offering for Visakha Bucha" or "Lantern Offering Ceremony." Visakha Bucha Day, or "Visakha Purnami Puja" in Pali, occurs on the full moon day of the sixth lunar month (or the seventh lunar month in leap years with an extra eighth month). This day commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Lord Buddha. Every year on Visakha Bucha Day, at Wat Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), many devoted individuals gather to offer lanterns as a gesture of auspiciousness for their families.