Morning Giving Alms in Sukhothai, Wat Trapang Thong

Getting up early to witness the morning giving alms to Monks at Wat Trapang Thong is one of the best things to do in Sukhothai. You can experience local culture and have a chance to give alms to the Monks. Giving alms is considered a way to earn merit (good karma).

Almsgiving is a daily ritual found in many countries like Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka. Almsgivers line up with prepared food early in the morning and Monks walk barefoot in a line, collecting alms in their bowl.

If you are visiting Sukhothai, I highly recommend attending the morning alms in front of Wat Trapang Thong, before exploring the ancient temples and ruins. In this article, I will show you how to get to almsgiving’s location, what to prepare, and how to experience this tradition in Sukhothai, Thailand.

Where is the location of the Giving Alms in Sukhothai?

The Giving Alms is held at 6.20 am every day, at the wooden bridge in front of Wat Trapang Thong, in Sukhothai Old Town. It is right on the main road of the old town, NH12, with the night market on the left and the morning market on the right of the temple.

Location of Almsgiving ritual in Sukhothai on Map

If you stay in the old town, you can easily walk to Wat Trapang Thong. If you stay in New Town ( around 12 km away from the old town), you will need to arrange a tuk tuk or taxi to get to the temple.

The monks will go out to collect the alms around 6.20am, but almgivers, vendors, and tourists arrive earlier to prepare the alms, lay out the mats and tables on the wooden bridge.

If you just want to observe, you can come around 6-6.10am. If you want to give alms for the monks, you can come earlier, around 5.45am to find a seat on the bridge before the ritual begins.

What to prepare for the almsgiving ceremony?

It is ok to just come to observe the procession, take photos, and not prepare anything for the monks. But be sure to do it respectfully, silently, and not interrupt the solemn atmosphere. Also dress appropriately, covering shoulders and knees.

I felt sad seeing a couple of tourists who look like professional photographers get very close to the monks to get their perfect photos. You should keep your distance from the monks.

I stayed at Oldtown Boutique House, and walked to the temple early around 5.45. I didn’t prepare anything. To be correct, I didn’t know what to prepare. When I arrived, I saw several vendors on the main road, selling different baskets where you can buy and give it to the monks.

There are all kinds of things in each basket. It can be cookies, milk, milos, fruits, bottles of water, coca cola, sticky rice, sweets, eggs, flowers…. Each basket, containing from 5 to 10 items, costs from 100 baht to 200 baht.

In addition to the shops on the main road, you can check out the morning market nearby if you know what you want to buy for the monks. I went to the market but I didn’t know what to buy, so I went back to the vendors on the main road to buy a prepackaged basket of 10 items.

I thought only about buying vegetarian things for the monks, but a local told me that I can buy any kind of food. This is because they will give these offerings to poor children.

You don’t need to buy it for all monks. If your basket is empty, you just skip the next one. It is ok as there are many other people on the bridge who will give alms for them.

I came early so I found the available seat in the middle of the bridge, next to the locals. The best place to sit is at the end of the bridge at the intersection with the main road. You can see the monks come from the temple and almsgivers in the line and the whole bridge, great for tik tok video and photo graphing.

The local couple next to me was very nice. They know that I’m a foreigner, so they offered to take photos from my phone. The gradually lightening sky, yellow illuminated lanterns, the lake, the wooden bridge, and the ancient temple in the background create beautiful photos.

at 6.30, monks started to come out the temple to collect alms

You need to take off the shoes, sit on the mat, and put the alms on the table in front of you. I settled down everything around 6.19am and the monks started to come out collecting the alms around 6.30am.

How to give alms to Monks

All the monks walk barefoot in a line, wearing orange robes, carrying bowls to collect alms. When the monk comes close to you, you hold the offering with both hands, showing respect. Let the monk open his bowl; gently place the food inside without touching the monk or the bowl.

After offering, make a respectful bow with your hands in a prayer position. After receiving the alms, monks stop occasionally to chant. Some people kneel or lower their heads as the monks chant a blessing. The ritual lasts for around 10 minutes.

What to do after The almsgiving ritual?

Wat Mahathat at sun rise

The almsgiving ceremony finishes around 6.45 which is around sun rise time. You can walk to Wat Mahathat in the central zone of the Sukhothai Historical Park to explore the temple at sunrise.

I first head to the ticket counter to buy the entrance ticket. It costs 100 baht and is valid for multiple entrances in a single day. I also asked the staff to give me the ticket for my bicycle which I will rent later. Ticket for the bike is 10 baht.

Sunrise and sunset are the best times to visit Wat Mahathat. Sunset is more crowded while sunrise offers a calmer, less-crowded atmosphere, and cooler temperatures. You’ll be likely to share the temple’s ground with just a few people at sunrise.

This ancient temple was originally constructed in the 13th century. On the ground, you can see many large Seated Buddha Images, standing Buddhas, as well as many halls and shrines.

Breakfast in Sukhothai Old Town

You can probably spend around 1 hour exploring Wat Mahathat at sunrise. After the temple, you can come back to your hotel to have breakfast or check out one of the many restaurants on the main road. Most of the guest houses and hotels in Sukhothai offer breakfast.

Rent a bicycle to explore Sukhothai Historical Park

Sukhothai Historical Park is a major attraction in Sukhothai. Most visitors come to this city to explore the ancient ruins and temples in the historical park.

I rented a bicycle and started my exploration from the west zone to the north zone, then had lunch, rest at the hotel, and came back to the central zone around sunset.

There are hundreds of temples in the historical parks. Must see temples in the west zone are Wat Saphan Hin; in the north zone are Wat Si Chum and Wat Phrapai Luang. You’ll be likely to see many other small and lesser-known temples when cycling around the historical park.

It will take around 3-4 hours exploring the west and north area. You’ll be tired of the heat after exploring these temples. I recommend having lunch and rest for a few hours before heading to the central zone later.

I had Sukhothai noodle soup on the main road of the old town for my lunch then visited the central zone with famous temples: Wat Sasi, Wat Si Sawai, and Wat Mahathat at sunset. If you are in Sukhothai on the weekend, you will have a chance to explore the night market by the lake in front of Wat Sa Si.

Sukhothai Old Town Night Market

The Old Town night market is held every night by the lake right next to Wat Trapang Thong where you participate in the almsgiving ritual in the morning. This market has a lot of local street food and the beautiful atmosphere of the illuminated bridge and temple.

You can walk on the wooden bridge to enter Wat Trapang Thong temple. It is home to ancient chedies and is surrounded by trees and a lake.

If you are in Sukhothai, be sure to check out the morning alms given to monks at Wat Trapang Thong. It will be a memorable experience in Thailand.