Candlelight Procession at the Temple

Today in Thailand it is a Buddhist holiday. It is Asanha Bucha Day. Tomorrow is Khao Phansa which is often translated as the start of the three month Buddhist Lent. A better translation would be the Rains Retreat as it is now the rainy season, monks are not allowed to go out and wander between temples during this time.

At the start of this retreat, people traditionally go to the temple to present the monks with large candles which are big enough to stay alight for the entire three months. This morning I took part in a candle procession on boats on Ladchado Canal in Ayutthaya. You can see some pictures of this event on my Facebook page.

This evening I then visited Wat Phananchoeng and Wat Yai Chaimongkhol in Ayutthaya. During every major Buddhist holiday, Thai people go to their local temple in the evenings to take part in candlelight processions. They walk around the main chapel three times in a clockwise direction. People start doing this from about 5 p.m. but if you go later you can get some amazing effects like the one above by using a long exposure.