Candle parade marks Lent
Jetjaras na Ranong in Ubon Ratchathani
There is no place that can rival this northeastern province when it comes to the staging of the "carved candle parade" to celebrate the arrival of the annual Buddhist Lent.
On Khao Pansa Day yesterday, local artists once again left tourists and local onlookers perplexed with their creative depictions of episodes from the life of the Lord Buddha and Buddhist concepts on wax .
Despite the soaring production costs, the artists left no stone unturned to keep the famed local festival alive and well.
Fifty elaborate wax carvings were paraded in the procession this year.
With the cost of producing one large elaborately carved candle climbing from last year's 300,000 baht apiece to 500,000 baht this year, the works this year arrived much leaner and smaller. But the artists maintained their craftsmanship, and creativity was not compromised.
As competition was also involved, the winner in the largest candle category walked away with a 300,000-baht prize.
This year, to promote community participation, the artists also put up design patterns to offer interested locals a chance to try their hand at candle carving.
The parade is a climax of the province's 18-day-long candle festival. Since July 1, the candle works of 10 foreign sculptors have also been on display at the province's national museum, where the third international exhibition of sculptured candles was held under the theme "Global Cooling@Thailand."
The festival, in which beeswax candles are paraded, dates to the reign of King Rama V. Traditionally, people presented candles to monks because there was no electricity in those days.
Candles were their only source of light during Buddhist Lent when monks were confined to temples for the three-month period during the rainy season.
A parade of magnificent carved candle works moves through downtown Ubon Ratchathani. |
Delicate craftwork decorates the base of a candle sculpture. |
A man blows a conch horn to mark the beginning of the annual wax carving parade to celebrate the arrival of Buddhist Lent. |
A giant candle crafted in an ancient style though with a simple pattern. |
A man carefully places wax pieces on a model before putting it on show at the candle parade. |
hA wax sculpture in the craft category contest. |
This candle-carving work was made by many villagers who crafted the candle out of patterns made by artists. Their works will be pieced together to form the sculpture. |
A local artist moves candle pieces from a plate to decorate the main wax sculpture. |
Winners of the beauty contest, which is part of the candle-carving competition, entertain tourists at the annual candle parade. |
Thousands of locals and visitors flock to see the wax sculptures on the eve of the parade. Leg 1 |
hVarious types of traditional dances of the northeastern community are an integral part of Ubon Ratchathani's famous candle parade. |
These girls practised traditional dancing for months ahead of the annual ceremony to ensure they performed their best before tens of thousands of people. |
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