Chak Phra Festival 2557

At the completion of the annual 3-month Buddhist Rain Retreat as well as the 10-day Vegetarian festival, local southern tradition of Chak Phra, or “pulling of the Buddhist monks,” symbolizes the Buddha’s return to Earth.

The festival lasts for a week and in addition to the main parade, there are also boat races, cultural celebrations & performances. A large market is set up near the river where schools and other organizations recreate scenes from traditional Buddhist stories. People pose in and among the different life-sized dioramas and put money in the Buddha trees for good luck.

There is also a large art exhibition from regional photographers. The images reminded me again and again of what a beautiful country this is and all the gratitude I have for my experiences here, the amazing people I have met, and the opportunities for personal and spiritual growth. Thailand has been an amazing place to call home and this festival is a perfect image of Surat in all her glory…

Chak Phra Festival, Suratthani

seated Buddha, Suratthani

NaMuang Road, Suratthani

Photography Exhibition ~ Chak Phra Festival, Suratthani

Each temple in the district adorns a long, ornately carved boat with images of the Buddha, shrines, flowers, lights and bowls for offerings (you put your donation in the bowl corresponding with your day of birth - some boats use numbers and others use day of the week, each auspicious and represented with a specific image of Buddha). Ropes are tied to the large structures and people pull the boats through the streets of the city as the community gathers to pay merit to the monks with donations of food, incense, candles, toiletries, or coins. The parade leads to the pier on the Tapi River where the procession takes to the water as boats carry on in their glory late into the night as fireworks light up the sky.