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Asahna Bucha and Khao Phansa, Start of Buddhist Lent guide
Monks begin the rains retreat.
In short
Asahna Bucha and Khao Phansa fall on the full moon of the eighth lunar month and the morning after, usually in July. Temples are busy as families bring candles for the wet season and young men are ordained for the rains retreat. It suits respectful travellers who want to see Thai Buddhism at its most active.
Asahna Bucha and Khao Phansa are two Buddhist holy days that fall back to back in Thailand. The first remembers the Buddha's first sermon. The second, the morning after, sends monks into the three-month rains retreat that Thais call phansa and visitors usually call Buddhist Lent.
Temples are at their busiest. Families bring candles meant to last the wet season, young men shave their heads to join the monkhood for a few months, and in the northeast the candle offering has grown into one of the country's great street parades. For a traveller it is a rare look at Thai Buddhism as everyday life.
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Key Facts & Stats:
Ends: Monday, 19 July 2027
Where: Thailand
Held: Every year
Type of event: Cultural Events, Religious Festivals
Currency: Thai baht (THB, ฿)
Time zone: Indochina Time, UTC+7
Language: Thai
Getting around
Hotels near the venue fill up around the event dates.
Dress and behaviour at the temple
- Cover shoulders and knees. Many Thais dress in white for the temple on these days, and plain light colours are a safe choice.
- Shoes come off before you enter any hall. Sit with your feet tucked away, never pointing at a monk or a Buddha image.
- Women should not touch monks or hand things to them directly; place an offering down or pass it through a man.
- Visitors may join the evening candle walk. Go clockwise, keep quiet and copy the person in front.
Holiday status and the alcohol sales ban
The two days are not equal in law. Asahna Bucha is a national public holiday. Khao Phansa lost its full public-holiday status in 2007 and is now a government holiday only, so banks usually open.
Alcohol sales stop on both days. Supermarkets, convenience stores and most bars will refuse to sell, and while some licensed hotels and approved tourist venues are exempt, ask before setting out for an evening drink.
Where and how it is celebrated
The main cities where the festival is celebrated.
What happens on the day
- Asahna Bucha, morning
Food for the monks
People bring food to the temple and stay for the sermon.
- Asahna Bucha, daytime
Candles on show in Ubon
The great candles are brought to Thung Si Mueang, dressed and displayed for the evening crowds.
- Asahna Bucha, after dark
Candle walk
Three slow circuits of the main hall.
- Khao Phansa, morning
Parade in Ubon
Floats carrying the candles roll through the centre with dancers and musicians. Elsewhere, families take rain-season robes and supplies to their temple.
- Three lunar months later
Ok Phansa
The retreat ends; in 2026 on 26 October.
Etiquette and dress
Dress
Cover shoulders and knees at the temple (TAT).
Shoes
Remove them before entering any hall.
Candle walk
Join quietly at the back and walk clockwise with the line.
Visiting a local temple or Ubon's candle parade
There are two ways to spend these days. The simple one is to stay put: every temple in Thailand marks both holidays, so the wat nearest your hotel will hold a sermon, a morning of merit-making and an evening candle walk. The more ambitious plan is to travel to Ubon Ratchathani in the northeast, where the Lent candle offering has grown into a full city festival with giant carved candles and a street parade.
That is the catch. One international holiday site places the pair a day later than the published Thai calendars, and in a dispute the holiday list from the Bank of Thailand settles it. Check it before you pay for anything. Our Thailand travel guide helps with the rest of the route.
The first sermon and the start of the rains retreat
Tradition places the Buddha's first sermon in the Deer Park at Sarnath, in India, where he taught the Four Noble Truths to five men who had once practised with him. One of them asked to be ordained on the spot. Thais count that request as the birth of the Sangha, the order of monks, and so Asahna Bucha sits near the top of their religious year.
The retreat that starts the next day is a much older discipline. Monks were not meant to wander during the rains, so for three lunar months they stay at a single temple and may not spend a night elsewhere. A monk's seniority is still counted in the number of these retreats he has kept. Many young Thai men ordain for this period alone.
Lay people often make a promise of their own, such as giving up alcohol, meat or cigarettes until Lent ends. The big wax candle given to each temple is meant to burn through the whole season. Ubon's carved giants are another matter: they are works of art, sculpted with scenes from Buddhist and Hindu myth, and never lit.
Getting there
Flying into Thailand
International flights land at Suvarnabhumi (BKK) or Don Mueang (DMK). Check entry rules on our Thailand visa page.
To Ubon by air
Ubon Ratchathani airport (UBP) is about 50 minutes from Bangkok, with Thai Airways from Suvarnabhumi and Nok Air and AirAsia from Don Mueang. Buy a fixed-price taxi coupon of about 100 baht in arrivals.
By train
Six departures a day from Krung Thep Aphiwat take 8.5 to 11.5 hours; the overnight sleepers arrive in the morning. Ubon's station is across the Mun River in Warin Chamrap; city buses 2 and 6 run to the centre.
By bus
About 10 hours from the Mo Chit area of Bangkok.
In Ubon
Walk. Roads close or crawl on parade morning, so set off early for a spot on the kerb.
Where to stay during the festival
Ubon needs booking. Rooms around Thung Si Mueang, where the candles are on show, go first. Trains and flights from Bangkok fill up for the long weekend, so reserve transport as soon as your dates are firm.
Bangkok
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$542.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
8 Rooms available
Book Now
Chiang Mai
137 Pillars House5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$400.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Koh Samui
Banyan Tree Samui5-star hotel
No reviews yet
from$645.00/ night
- Internet – Wifi
- Airport shuttle
- Swimming pool
9 Rooms available
Book Now
Weather and what to pack
Mid-July is the rainy season across Thailand. Ubon Ratchathani averages highs of about 33°C and lows around 25°C in July, with nearly 300 mm of rain in the month. Showers are usually heavy but brief.
Worth packing
- A compact umbrella or poncho
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees
- Slip-on shoes
- Water for the parade kerb
Car hire in Thailand
Airport transfer to Asahna Bucha and Khao Phansa, Start of Buddhist Lent
Met at arrivals and driven door to door to Thailand.
Restaurants and food in Thailand
Places to eat in Thailand before or after the celebrations.
Yamazato
24th floor, Park Ventures Ecoplex, 57 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
Cuisine:KaisekiEdomae sushi
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
- Delivery
Vertigo
61st Floor, Banyan Tree Bangkok, 21/100 South Sathorn Road, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Cuisine:GrillInternational
- Dine-in
- Outdoor seating
- Bar
Khao Soi Mae Sai
29/1 Ratchaphruek Road, Chang Phueak, Mueang Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai 50300, Thailand
Cuisine:Northern ThaiNoodles
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Raya Restaurant
48/1 Dibuk Road, Talat Yai, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiPhuket
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
Sorn
56 Soi Sukhumvit 26, Khlong Tan, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110, Thailand
Cuisine:Southern ThaiFine dining
- Dine-in
Jay Fai
327 Maha Chai Road, Samran Rat, Phra Nakhon, Bangkok 10200, Thailand
Cuisine:ThaiStreet food
- Dine-in
- Takeaway
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
General
In the central park, Thung Si Mueang, on the evening before the parade. Go after dark, when the crowds come out and the decorated candles stand side by side for close inspection.
Shops and most bars will not sell alcohol on either day. A few licensed hotels and approved venues in tourist areas are exempt, so ask at your hotel.
The days follow the Thai lunar calendar, and some international holiday sites calculate them a day off. The official Thai list wins whenever sources disagree.
No. The carved parade candles are sculptures and are never burned. The plainer Lent candles given to ordinary temples are the ones lit through the retreat.
Yes. Thai temples welcome respectful visitors at the sermon and the evening walk. Dress modestly, follow the people around you and keep phones silent.
Kathina follows the end of the retreat. Lay people bring donations, especially new robes, to the monks who have completed the rains at their temple.
By the number of rains retreats he has completed. Each Lent spent at a temple adds a year to his standing in the monastic community.
Timing & weather
Usually, yes. Khao Phansa is only a government holiday, so most bank branches open as normal while some government offices close.
Three lunar months later, on Ok Phansa, usually in October. The 2026 retreat ends on 26 October, and the alcohol ban returns for that day too.
Families & accessibility
Candles to burn through the retreat, rain-season robes for the monks and everyday supplies such as soap, toiletries and food for the months ahead.