Thailand’s 400-year-old festival takes a sacred Buddha into the water

PHETCHABUN — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul inaugurated the annual Um Phra Dam Nam festival on Sunday, a centuries-old tradition centered around a revered Buddha image and local beliefs in bountiful harvests, seasonal rain and protection from illness. Joined by his spouse, Thananon Charnvirakul, the Prime Minister inaugurated the festival at the pier of Wat Bot Chana Man in Muang district at 10:30 AM.

The festival revolves around Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha, a sacred Buddha image that symbolizes Phetchabun’s spiritual identity and cultural heritage. The ritual sees the image being carried into the water at Wang Makham Faeb, a location in front of Wat Bot Chana Man. At the opening ceremony, Anutin emphasized how the tradition epitomizes the faith, unity and strong bond between Phetchabun residents and the sacred image, serving as a spiritual cornerstone for the local community.

He expressed optimism that the collective merit-making would usher in peace and prosperity to Thailand, alleviate the sufferings of the populace, and encourage people to collaborate towards the nation's development. Local lore attributes the tradition’s origins to more than 400 years ago, when fishermen on the Pa Sak River faced a day without catching any fish.

A river current at Wang Makham Faeb supposedly halted, and a Buddha image surfaced from the water, appearing to repeatedly submerge and reappear. The fishermen conveyed the image to land for worship. The following year, on the waning 15th day of the 10th lunar month, the image vanished. Villagers searched for it and eventually discovered it in the Pa Sak River at the exact spot where it had initially appeared.

They transported it to Wat Traiphum and christened it Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha. The local rulers subsequently instituted the annual ritual of transporting the image into the water at Wang Makham Faeb. The ceremony is traditionally believed to precipitate timely rainfall, fertile soil, abundant crops, and good harvests, while shielding the community from epidemics.

Local beliefs also posit that disregarding the ritual could result in drought and disease. Um Phra Dam Nam remains a quintessential cultural tradition of Phetchabun, perpetuated by generations as an expression of Buddhist devotion and the community’s affinity with its revered Buddha image.