The Day Before The King's Birthday

Today was my first school function ever as a parent (of sorts). The day before the king's birthday (today) is when everybody in Thailand "makes merit" or ทำบุญ (thahm boon). It is the act of tahm boon that gives you good karma and brings you towards enlightment. Most of the time, people tham boon for themeselves and their family. However, On December 4th, everyone in Thailand makes merit on behalf of the king, for his own karma. Kind of a national birthday present I suppose.

So in this particular instance, everybody went to the school (wearing their official "king's yellow" shirts) with a bag of groceries to give to the monks. The monks have silver bowls that you put the groceries in, and then the monks put what is in their bowls into big baskets which are taken away to the temple to feed the monks and the poor.

Tomorrow is also father's day in Thailand. (The Queen's birthday is mother's day.) Pot gave me a crepe paper flower to pin to my shirt for the occasion.