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Lanna Boat Races This well-known regatta is part of the festivities that accompany the annual kathin season, when groups present robes to the monks of local temples in merit-making ceremonies. The races are enhanced by the distinctive Nan boats, long, hollowed-out logs painted with bright colors and adorned with fanciful designs. Royal Barge Procession One of the unique and most impressive events anywhere in the world, the majestic Royal Barges glide down the placid Chao Phraya, the River of Kings, an unforgettable sight. Illuminated Boat Procession Located on the bank of the Mekong River, the provincial capital of Nakhon Phanom observes Ok Phansa the end of Buddhist rains retreat by setting intricately decorated little boats, each containing a lighted candle, adrift on the river when night falls. Various entertainments are also provided in the town during the several days of the festival. Chak Phra & Thot Phapa Festival Chak Phra, an activity occurring on the same day as the Thot Phapa ceremony, a form of merit-making when Buddhists offer saffron robes to monks and donate money to temples, at the end of the Buddhist Rains Retreat. Thot Phapa takes places at dawn, before Chak Phra, the ceremony when Buddha images on elaborately decorated carriages are pulled by local people in land and water-borne processions. Phuket Vegetarian Festival This annual festival originated among immigrant workers in the 19th century and is one of the major events of Phuket. Residents of Chinese ancestry go on a ten-day vegetarian diet and there are ceremonies at local Chinese temples as well as parades that feature remarkable feats by ascetic believers. Tak Bat Devo Tak Bat Devo' means to fill the bowls of the gods, and in this festival, held a day after Ok Phansa, monks descend from a hilltop temple to receive offerings from local people, as the Buddha himself is believed to have done after preaching to his mother in heaven; folk theatre and other entertainments are also provided. |