Bangkok-Culture Ministry pins Navratri Festival, once a year, to continue the great festival of worship of Mother Uma Devi, strengthening Soft Power in the religious dimension. Mr. Chaiyapol Suk-iam, Director-General of the Department of Religious Affairs, presided over the wedding ceremony of Goddess Uma Devi and Lord Shiva at the Navratri Festival of the year 257, along with executives from the Ministry of Culture, leaders of religious organizations, religious people, network organizations, the public, and the media participating in the ceremony at Wat Phra Sri Maha Uma Devi, Bang Rak District, Bangkok. Mr. Chaiyapol Suk-iam, Director-General of the Department of Religious Affairs, revealed that the Ministry of Culture, through the Department of Religious Affairs, has implemented a policy in collaboration with religious organizations of 5 religions to organize a religious festival project of 5 religions, consisting of the activities of 'The Charm of the Past, Temple Fair Festival' of Buddhism, 'Ashura Da y of Relations' of Islam, 'Christmas Star Procession Festival' of Christianity, 'Navratri Festival', 'Diwali Festival' of Brahmanism-Hinduism, and 'The 555th Anniversary of the Birth of Guru Nanak Sahib, the First Prophet' of Sikhism, to promote Soft Power in the dimensions of 5 religions, generate income from tourism and religious festivals, strengthen the economy of Thailand to be stable, and create good understanding among religious people, resulting in peace and tranquility of society, and people of all religions living together with love and unity forever. By the Department of Religious Affairs, in collaboration with Brahman-Hindu religious organizations in Thailand, consisting of the Brahman Rajakru Office in the Royal Palace, the Hindu Samaj Association, the Hindu Dharma Sabha Association, and Wat Phra Sri Maha Uma Devi (Wat Khaek Silom), organize the Navratri Festival from October 2-14, 2567 at Wat Phra Sri Maha Uma Devi (Wat Khaek Silom), Bang Rak Subdistrict, Bang Rak District, Bangkok. The festiva l is a time when Hindus worship the goddess Uma Devi. According to the legend, the goddess Uma Devi defeated the demon named "Mahisasura" who caused trouble everywhere. The gods therefore invited the goddess Uma Devi in ??her incarnation as the deity. 'Mother Durga' who fought with Mahishasura for 9 days and 9 nights and was defeated on the 10th day. The devotees therefore held a ceremony to worship Mother Uma Devi for this victory. And on the 10th day, which is the last day of the festival, it is called 'Vijayadashami' or 'Ram Navami' which means the day of celebrating the victory on the tenth night, which shows that Dharma can conquer evil and wisdom. The devotees will carry the idols of Mother Uma Devi and other deities in a procession on the route to receive blessings from the deity on this night. Throughout the festival, the devotees will dress in new and beautiful clothes, dance, sing and celebrate all day and night. In addition, within the event, there are also activities to worship important deities of the Brahman-Hindu religion that are highly respected by the religious people. There are important activities that follow the order of the ceremony according to the following schedule: October 2, 2024 is the day before the Navratri festival begins. There is a ceremony to worship Ganesha, the god of success according to Hindu beliefs that before beginning to worship any god, one must always start by worshiping Ganesha first. Later in the afternoon until evening, there is a ceremony to worship the gods of the land and the gods of the nine planets to request to organize the annual Navratri festival of 2024. When all the schedules are completed, there will be a ceremony to worship the three goddesses throughout the day for good fortune for oneself and one's family. On October 3, 2023, the annual Navratri festival of 2024 will begin. There will be a ceremony to raise the Singha flag to the flagpole. 4-5 Oct 2024, the worship ceremony of the Goddess Maha Durga Devi, the Goddess of Power and Prestige. October 6-8, 2024, the ceremony to worship the Goddess Maha Lakshmi Devi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Importantly, on October 9, 2024, the ceremony of the blessing of the Goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi and the Lord Shiva Mahadev is the wedding ceremony of the Goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi and the Lord Shiva Mahadev, which will be organized in the form of a procession and a marriage ceremony according to the beliefs of Hinduism. It is organized only once a year, so it is a ceremony that has received attention from religious people and couples who come to ask for blessings for marriage and the fulfillment of love. This year, the Ministry of Culture, through the Department of Religious Affairs, has been invited to join this important ceremony. The religious people who participate in the wedding ceremony of the Goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi and the Lord Shiva Mahadev will join the procession of the procession, which consists of auspicious desserts on an offering tray for the deities. When the ceremony is over, the religiou s people can take it back to eat for good fortune. October 10, 2024, the ceremony to worship the goddess Saraswati, the goddess of arts and sciences, the ceremony to worship the goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi and the god Shiva Mahadev. October 11, 2024, the ceremony to worship the goddess Saraswati Devi, the goddess of arts and sciences. On October 12, 2024, the annual Vijayadashami procession in 2024 is another ceremony that has received much attention. It is a procession to celebrate the victory of the goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi in ??the form of the goddess Durga who defeated Mahishasura according to the legend. The procession consists of 8 floats: a procession of the medium of the goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi, a procession of the medium of the god Khandakumara, a procession of the medium of the goddess Kali, a procession of the royal chariot of the god Phikanet, a procession of the royal chariot of the god Khandakumara, a procession of the royal chariot of the god Krishna, a procession of the royal chariot of th e god Kattavarayan, and a procession of the royal chariots of the goddess Sri Maha Uma Devi, the goddess Maha Lakshmi, and the goddess Maha Saraswati. The procession starts from the Sri Maha Uma Devi Temple (Wat Khaek, Silom). And on October 14, 2024, there will be a ceremony to invite the Singha flag down and a bathing ceremony for the Brahmin group and the medium group. After the ceremony, the Brahmin group will bring the sacred thread that has been used for the 10 days of ceremonies to tie on the wrists of the faithful disciples. For the rules for attending Navratri and Vijayadashami processions, dress appropriately and in bright colors. Avoid black, purple, or dark blue tones as these are auspicious events. Also, be careful of pickpockets or slashers. As for traveling to the event, it is recommended to travel by public transportation as parking is prohibited along the footpaths along the procession route. Navratri is another important event in Hinduism. Buddhists can travel to participate in the ceremon y regardless of race or religion. It is believed that this will bring good fortune to their lives and their families. The Director-General of the Department of Religious Affairs concluded by saying that the 5 Religious Festivals Project under the Brahman-Hindu Festivals is to encourage religious people to practice their religious duties, which is to strengthen religious institutions as a pillar to create a virtuous society where people of all religions live together with love and unity. It also promotes tourism and festivals in the religious dimension, raising the level of traditional festivals to be widely known and creating faith and belief by worshipping sacred objects and souvenirs that will help generate income for entrepreneurs in selling various products and services, generating income from religious tourism, resulting in Thailand having sustainable economic strength. Source: Thai News Agency