Buddhist Lent and the Candle Festival

Buddhist Lent begins every year in July and is a period of time where monks spend most of their time at the temples and Thai people visit often to make merit and listen to their teachings.  Monks used to inadvertently cause damage to newly planted rice fields as they made their way throughout the country on foot doing their teachings.  Farmers were naturally unhappy about this, and so the Buddha gathered the monks and called for them to stay in the temples during the rainy season.       

  

Every year in Ubon Ratchathani, the easternmost province in northeast Thailand that shares a border with Laos and Cambodia, a Candle Festival is held to celebrate the beginning of Buddhist Lent.  In the past, candles used to be used for lighting in the temples, and prior to Buddhist Lent many people make offerings of candles (among other things) to the monks.  During the Candle Festival giant candle sculptures are created, displayed, and then driven through town during a parade.  The candle designs are pretty spectacular and incredibly detailed.  Many of them are built around cardboard structures that have the wax carved over top of them – they’re not exactly solid wax. 

Night display of the giant sculptures

So much detail - that's the 'candle' part in the middle

Parade of candles

Even the monks are amazed

An idea of the size of these things: me in the corner

Streets full of giant candle structures

The evening before the parade I was able to participate in a candle ceremony in front of one of the local temples.  Small yellow candles were passed out to people seated in the stands and then lit while people participate in Buddhist recitations/chants.  

Passing out candles for the evening ceremony

Lighting the candles

Candles for everybody

 It was a great festival to be a part of, and definitely one of the experiences that is a significant part of Thai culture and tied strongly to their Buddhist beliefs.