Loy Krathong celebrations postponed

[marcusd]

Or just maybe, given the entire purpose of Loy Krathong anyway, this could have been made a very special event to honour the passing of the Supreme Patriarch.

 

Or maybe, just maybe, respect how the Thais run their own religion and stop complaining about how it's inconvenient for you. As it's the least of their worries.

budhism is NOT a religion. It is a belief and that's it

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[Jip99]

Wouldn't it have made more sense for TAT to announce that the celebrations this year would be extra large to celebrate the passing of a great man in to Nirvana.

That, of course, would have required a degree of fore-thought and a modicum of commonsense.

Whoops!

[george]

UPDATE

BMA to allow Loy Krathong celebrations in 28 parks around #Bangkok but no fireworks /@RichardBarrow

[Jip99]

Or just maybe, given the entire purpose of Loy Krathong anyway, this could have been made a very special event to honour the passing of the Supreme Patriarch.

Or maybe, just maybe, respect how the Thais run their own religion and stop complaining about how it's inconvenient for you. As it's the least of their worries.

budhism is NOT a religion. It is a belief and that's it

Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

Actually - from Wikipedia, so it must be right:-

Religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning of life and/or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. From their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world.

[macknife]

Do tourists even actually come here especially for the Loy Kratong festival? I seriously doubt it.

Anyway the locals will still celebrate it anyway. Any excuse for a piss up, and this year they may get to do it twice. It's a win win.

[Bagwan]

TAT may like to explain this when they attend the promo event in London, "oh sorry we have just cancelled one of our biggest festivals, never mind"..

They haven't, it has been postponed due to the death of someone held in the highest esteem by most of the population and any reasonable person would understand that.

I challenge your assertion. I canvased my Thai family and they had never heard of the Patriarch much less held him in reverence. Perhaps they cannot differentiate between Buddhist monks and BIB?

I have difficulty in accepting that any sane person would use up their holiday period, jump on an aeroplane, thus shelling out their hard earned, just to see chunks of Styrofoam and banana leaves topped off with a candle set upon the waters. I've never heard of many coming to the UK to witness bonfires on November 5th.. .

[fab4]

TAT may like to explain this when they attend the promo event in London, "oh sorry we have just cancelled one of our biggest festivals, never mind"..

They haven't, it has been postponed due to the death of someone held in the highest esteem by most of the population and any reasonable person would understand that.

I challenge your assertion. I canvased my Thai family and they had never heard of the Patriarch much less held him in reverence. Perhaps they cannot differentiate between Buddhist monks and BIB?

I have difficulty in accepting that any sane person would use up their holiday period, jump on an aeroplane, thus shelling out their hard earned, just to see chunks of Styrofoam and banana leaves topped off with a candle set upon the waters. I've never heard of many coming to the UK to witness bonfires on November 5th.. .

Well perhaps just drop the cynicism for once and witness the Loy Krathong / Yi Peng ceremonies in the north

[Thaddeus]

Ain't Photoshop handy at times.

[Stradavarius37]

Wonder if TAT can tell us how many tourists come to see Loy Kratong and are pissed that so many things are affected?

A load of drunks could run TAT better, and at a fraction of it's billions it receives. The plug will soon have to be pulled on this body or the whole job lot will sink. Tourist figures are c#ap entry figures are correct. get real you overpaid click, Help the tourist not keep looking for the impossible.

Melodrama much?

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[hellodolly]

My understanding was religion was a method of worship. But what do I know being a reborn again pagan

Actually - from Wikipedia, so it must be right:-

budhism is NOT a religion. It is a belief and that's it





Sent from my RM-892_apac_laos_thailand_219 using Tapatalk

Religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence. Many religions have narratives, symbols, and sacred histories that are intended to explain the meaning of life and/or to explain the origin of life or the Universe. From their beliefs about the cosmos and human nature, people derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle. According to some estimates, there are roughly 4,200 religions in the world.

Do tourists even actually come here especially for the Loy Kratong festival? I seriously doubt it.

Anyway the locals will still celebrate it anyway. Any excuse for a piss up, and this year they may get to do it twice. It's a win win.

Come to Chiang Mai. You will see many coming for it. They schedule their holidays around it. Three days and then enjoy beautiful Chiang Mai. Years later retire and move to Chiang Mai.

Same same for Songkhran

[Vo Nguyen Giap]

yeah agree, chiang mai is the best place to celebrate loy krathong. especially like the sky lanterns there too.

[DocN]

Do tourists even actually come here especially for the Loy Kratong festival? I seriously doubt it.

Anyway the locals will still celebrate it anyway. Any excuse for a piss up, and this year they may get to do it twice. It's a win win.

They might not come exclusively for Loi Krathong.

But they may come at a time that includes it and it may be part of their palnning.

Same as Songkhran.

[fabianfred]

Funny....Loy Kratong has nothing to do with Buddhism..

[Thaddeus]

Funny....Loy Kratong has nothing to do with Buddhism..

Shhhhhh...... don't say things like that, there are millions of believers in 'Thai Buddhism' that think it has.

(and it may upset a couple of vociferous people in here)

[webfact]

State agencies,private sector may proceed w/annual Loy Krathong celebrations (Nov.17)despite mourning period for the Supreme Patriarch

/The Nation

[disagree]

budhism is NOT a religion. It is a belief and that's it

My understanding was religion was a method of worship. But what do I know being a reborn again pagan

Although Wikipedia states 'Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one".', that should of course be taken with a grain of salt based on the last time it was edited. It went through a few changes.

It's clearly a topic of debate ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#Is_Buddhism_a_religion.3F ) with lots of back and forth, but no clear outcome due to the many different practices. It's accepted as 'state religion' and protected under secular laws, which makes it a bit more than a philosophy in such cases.

Depends as well on the implied definition of religion...

The Dalai Lama states: "From one viewpoint, Buddhism is a religion, from another viewpoint Buddhism is a science of mind and not a religion. Buddhism can be a bridge between these two sides. Therefore, with this conviction I try to have closer ties with scientists, mainly in the fields of cosmology, psychology, neurobiology and physics. In these fields there are insights to share, and to a certain extent we can work together."^[249]

Ilkka Pyysiäinen states: "...Buddhism is the favorite example of scholars who have argued that we should find some other way of defining religion than the one based on the idea of belief in gods or superhuman beings..."

Walpola Rahula states: "The question has often been asked: Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what it is whatever label you may put on it. The label is immaterial. Even the label 'Buddhism' which we give to the teaching of the Buddha is of little importance.(...)"

^{Some interesting points to consider}

Funny....Loy Kratong has nothing to do with Buddhism..

"According to H.M. King Rama IV, writing in 1863, it was a Brahmanical festival that adapted by Thai Buddhists in Thailand to honor Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama."

That is a bit more than 'nothing'; slightly comparable to Easter having had pagan roots and being adapted into the Christian belief system.

Edited October 29, 2013 by disagree

[hellodolly]

budhism is NOT a religion. It is a belief and that's it

My understanding was religion was a method of worship. But what do I know being a reborn again pagan

Although Wikipedia states 'Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one".', that should of course be taken with a grain of salt based on the last time it was edited. It went through a few changes.

It's clearly a topic of debate ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism#Is_Buddhism_a_religion.3F ) with lots of back and forth, but no clear outcome due to the many different practices. It's accepted as 'state religion' and protected under secular laws, which makes it a bit more than a philosophy in such cases.

Depends as well on the implied definition of religion...

The Dalai Lama states: "From one viewpoint, Buddhism is a religion, from another viewpoint Buddhism is a science of mind and not a religion. Buddhism can be a bridge between these two sides. Therefore, with this conviction I try to have closer ties with scientists, mainly in the fields of cosmology, psychology, neurobiology and physics. In these fields there are insights to share, and to a certain extent we can work together."^[249]

Ilkka Pyysiäinen states: "...Buddhism is the favorite example of scholars who have argued that we should find some other way of defining religion than the one based on the idea of belief in gods or superhuman beings..."

Walpola Rahula states: "The question has often been asked: Is Buddhism a religion or a philosophy? It does not matter what you call it. Buddhism remains what it is whatever label you may put on it. The label is immaterial. Even the label 'Buddhism' which we give to the teaching of the Buddha is of little importance.(...)"

^{Some interesting points to consider}

Funny....Loy Kratong has nothing to do with Buddhism..

"According to H.M. King Rama IV, writing in 1863, it was a Brahmanical festival that adapted by Thai Buddhists in Thailand to honor Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama."

That is a bit more than 'nothing'; slightly comparable to Easter having had pagan roots and being adapted into the Christian belief system.

Being a reborn again pagan I can easily accept all these different beliefs.

I of course have one stipulation. Is it some thing you really believe or are you just talking to be controversial. Like the atheists in the fox hole who didn't pray. I know one who did and I know one who didn't.

[disagree]

Being a reborn again pagan I can easily accept all these different beliefs.

I of course have one stipulation. Is it some thing you really believe or are you just talking to be controversial. Like the atheists in the fox hole who didn't pray. I know one who did and I know one who didn't.

My personal beliefs are not part of the debate, I keep such to myself.

I was merely stating that it's not clear cut as those scholars have shown - no controversy intended, rather food for thought

[Bpuumike]

Or just maybe, given the entire purpose of Loy Krathong anyway, this could have been made a very special event to honour the passing of the Supreme Patriarch.

My thoughts exactly.

[Cuban]

Shhhhhh...... don't say things like that, there are millions of believers in 'Thai Buddhism' that think it has.

(and it may upset a couple of vociferous people in here)

Just like the Christians that adopted 25th December, the old Pagan Midwinter Festival as "their" religious day.

More people have a Christmas Tree (Evergreen and a nod toward Pagan Mother Earth Worship) than have any Christian element in their home, although some will make a pilgrimage to Church for a sing-song of Carols as it remind them of school days, nothing more.