Today was Visakha Bucha Day in Thailand, the most important Buddhist holiday of the year which commemorates three defining events in the life of the Lord Buddha which all took place on the Visakha full-moon day: he was born, 35 years later he achieved enlightenment and 45 years after enlightenment he died and entered Nirvana. This year is also a significant one, with Buddhists in Thailand and other South-East Asian countries marking the estimated 2,600 year anniversary of the Buddha passing into Nirvana. The photos below were all taken earlier this evening in Chiang Mai.
(above and below) Wat Pan Tao teak temple. The photo below shows Buddhist flags with the Wheel of Dharmachakra (also known as the Wheel of Doctrine, Wheel of Life or Wheel of Law).
(below) Hanging pennants for good luck and to make merit at Wat Phra Singh.
(above and below) Candles surrounding a Buddha image at Wat Pan Tao.
(below) Lighting candles and making merit at Wat Chedi Luang.
