08/07/2017
Asalha Bucha Day [วันอาสาฬหบูชา: wan aa-săan-hà buu-chaa] marks the day when the Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon known as “Dhammachakkappavattanasutta” (ธัมมจักกัปปวัตนสูตร) which he preached to five ascetics at Benares in India over 2,500 years ago, as result all of them attained enlightenment and was ordained by the Buddha as the first ever Buddhist monks. Hence, the origin of Buddhist monks, we see wearing orange color saffron.
Asalha Bucha Day is also a public holiday in Thailand. It is illegal to buy and sell alcohol on this day.
NOTE: The reason for alcohol sale’s ban during the major religious holidays is one of the five precepts ” to abstain from fermented drink that causes heedlessness.”
(Credit: learnthaiwithmod)