Officials and members of the public in Thailand’s 76 provinces today took part in a nationwide ceremony to draw sacred water from 108 water sources to be used during the Coronation of HisMajesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn on May 4th.

The ceremony began in all provinces at the auspicious time of 11.52am. The only exception is Bangkok where the same ritual will be held on April 12th at the Haw Sastrakhom, inside the Grand Palace, with Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang chairing the auspicious event.

The sacred water is placed into a Kontho, a Thai traditional vase, and then blessed at each of the provinces’ important temples on Monday, to be followed by another religious ceremony on Tuesday.

Those Kontho will be sent to the Ministry of Interior on Wednesday April 10th.  Another nine Kontho, containing sacred water drawn from ancient sacred ponds in Suphan Buri province and from five “sacred” rivers, will also be sent to the ministry.

All the sacred water, including that from Bangkok, will be moved from the Interior Ministry to Wat Suthatthepwararam in a procession for a blessing ceremony.

In Bangkok’s neigbouring province of Nonthaburi, sacred water was today drawn from the Chao Phraya River in front of the statue of King Rama III.

In the northeastern province of Udon Thani, water was drawn from an ancient sacred pond in Tambon Ban Muang, Ban Doong district, which is about 110km from the provincial capital.  The sacred water was then taken to Wat Matchimawat to be blessed.