Ogden Thai Buddhist temple monks inviting community for free lunch Sunday
Venerable Phramaha Suphat Sukyai speaks with other monks on the phone on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, as they prepare for the upcoming Songkran Festival at the Wat Chaimongkolvararam Buddhist temple in Ogden. The new temple is holding a free community event on Sunday, April 1 to celebrate Songkra, the Thai New Year's Day.
Monks prepare for the opening ceremonies of the Wat Chaimongkolvararam temple on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. Around 170 monks from around the country joined the monks already living in Ogden for the three day celebration.
OGDEN — The monks at Ogden’s Thai Buddhist temple are hosting an outdoor free lunch and entertainment Sunday as a “thank you” to the community.
The public is invited to enjoy free Thai food and international dancers at the Wat Chaimongkolvararam temple, 402 Wall Ave. in Ogden, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 1.
“We are happy. We’ve gotten a lot of help,” said Venerable Phramaha Suphat Sukyai, president of the Thai Wat Chaimongkolvararam temple. “We have good neighbors. That’s why we would like to invite everybody.”
He thanked a handful of area businesses and Ogden City for donating and discounting supplies needed in building the new temple.
The temple was dedicated in a ceremony Oct. 1, 2017.
RELATED: Open house for Buddhist temple draws hundreds from Ogden, around the world
The monks will also celebrate the Songkran Festival Sunday.
In Thailand, the Songkran Festival typically is celebrated April 13 and sometimes through April 15 as Thai New Year’s Day, according to information distributed by the temple.
The word “Songkran” comes from a Sanskrit word translated as “astrological passage,” meaning transformation or change, said the information from the temple. The celebration often includes throwing water.
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BENJAMIN ZACK/Standard-Examiner
Visitors and monks from around the United States and Thailand gathered in Ogden for the opening of the Wat Chaimongkolvararam temple on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2017. The temple will serve the Thai Buddhist community around Northern Utah.
The free community lunch Sunday will include King of Thai noodle, fried rice, fried noodle, green curry, papaya salad, spring roll and sticky rice, Sukyai said.
No tours of the inside of the temple will be held during the celebration, Sukyai said.
He encourages visitors to come to the temple to meditate on Saturdays.
“Sometimes we get confused,” Sukyai said. “Sometimes we suffer. When we suffer, we need something to relax the mind.”
The monk also invited area residents to mark their calendars for Oct. 28 when area monks again plan offer free Thai food during a festival at their temple.
Venerable Phramaha Suphat Sukyai dicusses the upcoming Songkran Festival on Tuesday, March 27, 2018, at the Wat Chaimongkolvararam Buddhist temple in Ogden. The new temple is holding a free community event on Sunday, April 1 to celebrate Songkra, the Thai New Year’s Day.
You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at jfrancis@standard.net or 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or on Facebook at Facebook.com/SEJaNaeFrancis.
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