Bang Phli is a district in Samut Prakan which has an abundance of lotuses. The morning of the 14th full-moon night of October is the day before the end of the Buddhist Lent. Buddhists come here to pick the flowers for offerings to monks according to tradition. The people of Bang Phli regard this as great merit so they volunteer to keep the flowers for distribution to visitors who row to the district to receive them every year. This tradition has become the "Rap Bua" (lotus receiving) festival.
This festival has been handed down from one generation to another. Traditionally, local people line up both sides of the canal and throw lotus flowers onto the boat carrying the replica of "Luang Poh To" Buddha image. These lotus flowers are meant as homage to the Triple Gem - the Lord Buddha, Dhamma and the Sangka. Also, the Bang Phli local people will also throw lotus flower onto visitors’ boats as a gesture to invite them join in their merit-making.