Loy Khrathong Festival in Mae Jo

View of the sky after all the lanterns were lit.

Every year during the festival, the city of Mae Jo has a huge celebration at one of the temples there.  So, we loaded up the truck and headed out to check it out.  It was about 30 minutes from our apartment.

At the entrance to the festival was a temple which housed this gold idol.  Many people came to worship it before the ceremony.

L posed with some locals in traditional dress.

At the beginning of the ceremony centered at the front was a stage filled with around 50 sitting monks with a large gold idol behind them.  The crowd sat facing the stage with lantern lighting stations all around the grounds for the lantern lighting part of the ceremony,

Grounds were all the people sat with their lanterns and lighting posts.

Once the ceremony began, the head monk led all the people in a several group prayers and a 30 minute meditation prayer.

 

Here a man is meditating during the prayer time in preparing for setting off his lantern.  Second picture is of a lantern and the lighting stand used to light the lantern.

The two J’s sit quietly during the meditation and take pictures and video.

The two J’s posing in front of the center stage.

After the prayer meditation, all the monks marched around the grounds with candles to begin the lighting part of the ceremony.

All the monks marched to the center stage to light the lanterns on the stage first.

L lights our lantern.

Everyone lit their lanterns.  This is a view of the grounds with all the lanterns lit.  There were about1,000 lantern lighting posts scattered around the grounds.  It was really beautiful.  However as the night went on, our hearts broke for the lostness of the people of this country.  The ceremony was absolutely the most picturesque event we have ever seen, but you couldn’t help to remember and think about why these people were performing this ceremony.

 

Everyone lights their lanterns at the same time.

J lighting his lantern.

L working on her lantern with some help from a friend.

 

Getting ready for the lift off…

1, 2, 3…lift off!  Hundreds of lanterns filled the sky as people said prayers and made wishes.  It was surreal.

This was a beautiful picture.  Our team lifted up the people of this country and all the people in attendance as we lit our lanterns.  May the Father open their eyes and hearts to His love!