About this Holiday
Asalha Bucha Day falls on the full moon of the eighth lunar month and commemorates the day the Buddha delivered his first sermon — the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in Motion) — to five ascetic disciples at Deer Park in Varanasi, India. This event established the Three Jewels of Buddhism: the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. In Thailand, Buddhists mark the day with candlelit processions, merit-making, and the start of the Buddhist Lent season the following day.