The New Year Thudong Pilgrimage at Wat Phra Dhammakaya is a year-end observance in which the temple carries out its merit-making across the midnight boundary. Alms are offered, a meditation retreat runs through the night, and lanterns are lit and chanting continues into the new year.
When is the New Year Thudong?
The observance is held in the New Year season, centred on the night that closes the old year and opens the new one. Because the Thai New Year is set by the solar calendar, the date is fixed in the Gregorian calendar and does not shift from year to year.
The ceremony is deliberately timed to midnight. Participants gather before the transition so that the merit-making is continuous rather than being split into two separate events.
The year-end alms round
The programme begins with a year-end alms round. Monks receive offerings from the assembled participants, and the alms given at this point are understood as a way of closing the year’s accounts of generosity.
Making merit before the year turns over has a practical logic as well as a religious one. It gives people a defined point at which to pause, settle their intentions, and formally complete a cycle of dana before starting a new one.
The cross-midnight meditation retreat
The central part of the night is a meditation retreat that runs across midnight. Practitioners sit through the final hours of the year and continue into the first hours of the new one without breaking the sitting.
Sitting through a transition is the practical expression of the idea behind the observance. The point is not that a particular moment of the calendar is inherently more powerful, but that crossing it with a settled and continuous mind is a discipline worth practising.
Lantern lighting and chanting into the new year
After the retreat, lanterns are lit around the temple grounds, and the assembly continues chanting into the new year. The combination of silence, then light and sound, gives the night a clear structure that participants find both moving and easy to follow.
Those who cannot stay until midnight are welcome to join for the earlier parts of the programme, and many families attend the alms round and leave before the retreat begins.
How to join — on site
Wat Phra Dhammakaya is at Khlong Sam, Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani 12120. The gathering is open to visitors, and no prior experience of meditation is required for the retreat. Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes before entering the ordination hall and the Cetiya.
Because the retreat runs through the night, bring a light layer, water, and a small cloth. Participants sitting overnight are asked to arrive early enough to be settled before the sitting begins.
How to join online
Live coverage is shared through the temple’s Line OA “@dhammakaya” account and the official Facebook page, and is also broadcast by the DMC channel. Online participants commonly follow the retreat, light a lantern or candle at home at midnight, and dedicate the merit of the new year to their family.
Preparing for the day
- Arrive early to be settled before the evening sitting begins.
- Bring a light layer, as the night can become cool towards morning.
- No prior experience is needed for the meditation retreat.
- Dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and remove your shoes.
Plan your merit-making all year
The New Year Thudong is one of many merit-making events at the temple. See the Dhammakaya Merit Calendar to plan your year of dana, sila, and bhavana.
References
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