Monks chanting
They are chanting passages of the Buddha's teaching. The white thread symbolizes their unity in the Buddha's teachings. All Thai men serve as monks for a short time as a right of passage (this is also true in Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.) A few go on to be monks for life if they feel so compelled. In the old days they learned to read and write during their time in the temple, thus giving peasants obvious advantages over mostly illiterate European peasants.
The monks from a local Thai temple in San Diego blessed the restaurant my wife used to work at for the New Year. The Thai used to change the year on April 13, but after WWII changed it to Jan. 1. They still celebrate new year the week of April 13, but the year does not change. This year will be 2551 of the Buddhist Era.
Monks chanting
They are chanting passages of the Buddha's teaching. The white thread symbolizes their unity in the Buddha's teachings. All Thai men serve as monks for a short time as a right of passage (this is also true in Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka.) A few go on to be monks for life if they feel so compelled. In the old days they learned to read and write during their time in the temple, thus giving peasants obvious advantages over mostly illiterate European peasants.
The monks from a local Thai temple in San Diego blessed the restaurant my wife used to work at for the New Year. The Thai used to change the year on April 13, but after WWII changed it to Jan. 1. They still celebrate new year the week of April 13, but the year does not change. This year will be 2551 of the Buddhist Era.