CityNews – Thousands of lanterns were released into the sky over Mae Jo on Saturday evening as part of a spectacular annual festival.
Photo: Weerasak Panyachod.
Around 10,000 residents and tourists joined the event, which was held in the grounds of the Lanna Dhutanka temple behind Mae Jo University.
The event is often mistakenly believed to part of the annual Yi Peng festival, which will be held in early November this year and also involves traditional sky lanterns.
However, it is actually part of a kathin ceremony, in which robes are offered to monks within a month of the end of Buddhist lent. It is organised by the temple in cooperation with educational institutions, local government and the private sector.
A second, ticket-only event aimed at tourists will be held at the temple on November 8. It will be conducted entirely in English, and tickets cost 3,000 or 4,500 baht.