Without a first trip in Thailand when I was a student,
I will never become a photographer. And never showed my pictures of “Priests and Thai bikers” and all that follows … I will always have a very special link with this country, priests, people and landscapes!
Very emotional and souful to be back here years later, in the small village’s temple near Amphawa, Wat Bang Kapoam to celebrate Visakha Bucha: the birth, enlightenment and entry into nirvana of the Buddha. The most important festival of the Buddhist calendar. My first Vishaka Bucha.
I enjoy the atmosphere of Buddhist temples, the feeling of fredoom’s movement, the back ad forth of the people. Tonight, some of the priests set their camera during the ceremony (pictures 3,4 & 6). In the background, the monotone voice of a priest recites mantras in a microphone (picture 1).
I recieve a small booklet of the Buddha’s life: I do not read Thai. Gradually, the temple gets full. People present their offerings (picture 3). Then suddenly everyone goes outside to light candles (picture 5).
We follow the procession of the priests. Slowly we turn three times around the temple, punctuated by the monotone microphone’s voice that imperturbable, continues to recite. The moment is pretty unreal, carried by voice I follow. I finally put my waterlily candle (with a very ingenious system to remove the candle from its waterlily envelope!) to make a wish. Tomorrow I take the road… again.
Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés
Follow my whole trip in THAILAND and Twitter. You can also discover my other pictures in the Facebook of the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Facebook of the Royal Thai Embassy in Belgium. ENJOY!
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