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  Left:
Before the sunset at "Lanna Meditation Retreat Centre".
Approximately
one week before the
coming of "Loi Krathong" -- known as "Yee Peng", the festival of the second month in the old
calendar for the Northern Thais during the full-moon period
("Yee" means "two" while "Peng" means "a full-moon day") -- it
is time for the "Yee Peng Floating Lantern Ceremony",
organized by The "Lanna Meditation Retreat Centre" (located at
Sansai District, Chiang Mai). Actually this event has been
called "Kathina Ceremony" (first start here on 1989) which is
the unique once-a-year merit-making ceremony by Dhammakaya.
The objectives of this ceremony are to preserve the exquisite
culture of noble "Lanna" or "Northern Thais", as well as light
the ground candles and release the floating lanterns (similar
to the hot-air balloons) in highest worship to the Lord
Buddha. However, our main target is the highlight of this
ceremony when all lanterns are floating into the sky.
 
Right: The line of "ground lanterns" before lighting up
by the visitors.
Surely, this evening we drive
outside the city to Sansai District in order to watch the
thousands of "floating lanterns" launching into the sky. In the
first period before the opening ceremony, the visitors are
enjoyed with the Lanna's dancing while we are walking around
the area to find the best spot to take the photographs for the
highlight of tonight's program. After that, religious ceremony
starts -- paying homage to the Lord Buddha, retreating
meditation, lighting ground lanterns, circumambulating around
Lord Buddha statue -- before waiting about a couple hours for
the lantern floating.
 Left:
Thousands of the floating lanterns soaring into the Chiang
Mai's sky after the ceremony.
When the time comes, everybody
starts lighting the "floating lanterns" with the ground
lanterns before waiting for the signal to launch them
up
into the sky together. As soon as the master of ceremony gives
the sign, everybody frees the lanterns from the hands and let
them fly into the sky. This is an impressive moment for
everyone in the ceremony, also the golden second for the
photographers. Lighting up the sky with warm light, the thousands of lanterns gliding everywhere like
the stars or nebulas moving in the galaxy. At the first time
when seeing the thousands of lanterns flying up into the sky,
we are stunned by the impressive picture appearing in front of
us that can not be explained by anything and hardly believe
that this image can be found on earth.
This is the first year we come to
this ceremony "together". And surely, we definitely want to
come back here again next year. If you want to join us,
please feel free to let us know, so we will go to the "Yee Peng
Floating Lantern Ceremony" together.
For more photos, please take a
look at "Floating Lanterns into Chiang Mai's Sky". -- SOON! |
