Photo Gallery: Wisaka Bucha

2 ratings
5 June 2012

Travel Photographer Daniel Nahabedian captures this week’s Wisaka Bucha, one of the most important religious holidays in the Buddhist calendar, celebrating the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha.

Story by: 

Daniel Nahabedian

Follow: 

Wisaka Bucha is one of the most important religious holidays in the Buddhist calendar. It celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha, which according to the Theravada Buddhist traditions, all took place on the same day of the year, on the full moon of the Indian lunar month of Wisaka. In most Buddhist countries, including Thailand, it is an official public holiday.

On this day, devotees, usually dress in white, visit temples, bring offerings, meditate and listen to sermons. A pilgrimage is also held at night, up Doi Suthep, the local mountain towering over the city. It is believed that anyone who accomplishes the pilgrimage and does the wien tiane, or walking around the chedi (stupa) for three rounds on Wisakha Bucha day, will receive the results of making merit: virtue, luck, and prosperity.

Buddha Statue and Bodhi Tree

Buddha Statue and Bodhi Tree
◄ Back
Picture 1 of 10

Hundreds of candles are arranged around a golden statue of Buddha under a sacred Bodhi tree.

 

Daniel Nahabedian

Daniel Nahabedian is a multicultural travel photographer, who speaks fluently 5 languages and enjoys walking long distances, including over 2,000 km on the Camino de Santiago in Spain. He started his website Canvas of Light after having left the corporate world and currently lives the good life with his wife in Chiang Mai, Thailand, while hosting photo workshops and teaching travel photography online on MatadorU.