Thai Buddhist Lent pledge draws millions, organisers say

A Thai Buddhist Lent alcohol pledge has drawn millions of participants, organisers say, as the annual three-month abstinence campaign combines public health messages with a religious commitment.

At a temple in Samut Sakhon, west of Bangkok, Wassana Nak-umma, a 42-year-old housewife, joined hundreds of people this week in promising to abstain from alcohol for Khao Phansa. She told AFP that a similar pledge in 2024 helped her cut back after years of heavy drinking.

The Buddhist Lent campaign began in 2003. Organisers said it had more than eight million adherents last year in Thailand, where more than 90 percent of the population identify as Buddhist and avoiding drugs and alcohol is a Buddhist precept.

The campaign's organisers are now highlighting health, family relationships and savings. Dr. Pongthep Wongwatcharapaiboon, director of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, said the goal was not necessarily total abstinence for everyone, and that reducing consumption could also be a success.

Ubolwan Kongsawang, a regional volunteer with the Stop Drinking Network, said making a pledge before a Buddha image, at a temple or in a community gives participants a spiritual anchor. Teera Wacharaprannee, head of the network, said it wants to support communities to reduce alcohol in daily life beyond Lent.

Thailand relaxed restrictions on afternoon alcohol sales in December, but alcohol remains banned on religious public holidays and around elections.