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

PHETCHABUN — Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Sunday opened Phetchabun’s annual Um Phra Dam Nam festival, a centuries-old tradition centred on a revered Buddha image and local beliefs in good harvests, seasonal rainfall and protection from disease.

Anutin presided over the opening ceremony at 10.30 at the pier of Wat Bot Chana Man in Muang district, accompanied by his wife, Thananon Charnvirakul.

The festival centres on Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha, a sacred Buddha image regarded as a spiritual symbol of Phetchabun and an important part of the province’s cultural heritage. The annual ritual involves carrying the image into the water at Wang Makham Faeb, in front of Wat Bot Chana Man.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Anutin said the tradition reflected the faith, unity and strong bond between Phetchabun residents and Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha, which serves as a spiritual centre for the local community.

He expressed hope that the collective merit-making would bring peace and prosperity to Thailand, ease the suffering of the people and encourage them to work together to develop the country.

According to local legend, the tradition dates back more than 400 years, when a group of fishermen on the Pa Sak River failed to catch any fish throughout the day.

The river current at Wang Makham Faeb then reportedly came to a standstill, and a Buddha image emerged from the water, appearing to repeatedly submerge and resurface. The fishermen brought the image ashore for worship.

The following year, on the waning 15th day of the 10th lunar month, the image disappeared. Villagers searched for it and eventually found it in the Pa Sak River at the same location where it had first appeared. They brought it to Wat Traiphum and named it Phra Buddha Maha Thammaracha.

Local rulers subsequently established the annual ritual of carrying the image into the water at Wang Makham Faeb.

The ceremony is traditionally believed to bring timely rainfall, fertile soil, abundant crops and good harvests, while protecting the community from epidemics. Local beliefs also hold that neglecting the ritual could bring drought and disease.

Um Phra Dam Nam remains one of Phetchabun’s distinctive cultural traditions, passed down through generations as an expression of Buddhist faith and the community’s connection to its revered Buddha image.