Vesak Day - Buddha's Birthday
Every year, thousands of people gather in India, Sri Lanka, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand, among others, to celebrate the birth, enlightenment, and death of Gautama Buddha, also known as the father of Buddhism.
This year I was able to witness the celebration of this date in Thailand, where the name of the celebration is known as Visakha Puja.
Giant statue of Lord Buddha at the Phutthamonthon
Nakhon Pathom
May 10th 2017
People walk with lights and umbrellas due to a storm that brought rain later on.
People gather before dawn and walk around the statue of Lord Buddha carrying lights and flowers while they pray.
There's almost no speaking, but people sing hymns and pray while they walk. Sometimes they stop and take a minute for themselves. There's a feeling that everyone's together, but at the same time it's a very intimate moment.
Children also take part in the ceremony.
Families go together and parents seem to use the occasion to teach their children the importance that this date has.
The statue is about 16m tall, and has been the place of reunion for this ceremony and many others for more than 20 years.
