Thailand
To make merit in thai, is to show your respect for the teaching of the Buddha. There are several ways to do it as a lay person and your good deeds are very often directed to monks. In the end of the eight lunar month a certain candle light ceremony is performed, called Vien tien. Here the candle is the symbol of the enlightenment, the inscense of the spreading of the teaching and the flowers of the monkhood blossoming over and over again. This event coincides with the beginning of the moonks' retreat for the rainy season. According to tradtion they should not be out wondering the fields during this important time for the farmers crops but stay in the temple compound for three months to follow.