Faith in 'Thao Wessuwan' at Wat Phra Thaen Sila At brought luck for two consecutive lottery draws. A woman from Laplae led a troupe of 13 dancers to perform in thanks, not forgetting to request lucky numbers for the 16 July 2026 draw.
On 7 July 2026, the atmosphere at Wat Phra Thaen Sila At, a royal monastery in Thung Yang subdistrict, Laplae district, Uttaradit, was filled with devotion. A group of villagers from Laplae, led by 55-year-old Ms. Rungnapa Sakkara, arrived with 13 dancers dressed beautifully, bringing a large offering set including red roses, red drinks, auspicious fruits, and boiled eggs. They performed a dance in front of the large golden-yellow 3-meter statue of Thao Wessuwan, lighting incense and praying to explain their purpose before presenting the offerings to the statue.
Ms. Rungnapa explained the origin of this offering: in early June, she visited to pray for lottery luck from the statue of Thao Wessuwan, promising that if successful she would arrange dancers to perform with offerings. She used the method of reaching into a jar and lighting incense to draw numbers before the statue and used those numbers to try her luck in the lottery.
It turned out that on the 16 June 2026 draw, she was indeed lucky and won as promised, so she arranged dancers to perform in thanks. During that occasion, she also asked for luck again, which led to another consecutive win in the 1 July draw. Not only she, but nearly all the dancers who performed together also received luck.
With strong faith in Thao Wessuwan and his power to grant luck twice in a row, today the troupe fully performed a beautiful dance and brought a large set of offerings. They also repeated the ceremony of drawing numbers by reaching into the jar and lighting incense, receiving the numbers 340 from the jar and 450 from the incense sticks.
Villagers and attendees quickly took photos with their mobile phones to keep the numbers for the 16 July lottery. They vowed that if they win a big prize again, they would prepare an even grander set, emphasizing red clothing and offerings, as red is believed to be the favored color of Thao Wessuwan.
The 3-meter-tall statue of Thao Wessuwan at Wat Phra Thaen Sila At is a spiritual refuge for locals and tourists who regularly come to pray. Popular methods to seek luck include lighting incense and drawing numbered ping pong balls from a jar. Those who receive luck often offer red roses and red drinks in thanks, creating a familiar scene of devotion among visitors to this Buddhist temple.
