Devotions in wax

The country's most spectacular Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani

The annual Candle Festival, the country's most spiritual yet spectacular religious affair, gets off to an early start this year in the Northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani with a series of cultural showcases that will delight local and international visitors alike.

The grand candle procession, which marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent at the end of the month, usually draws thousands upon thousand of Buddhist devotees, visitors and spectators,

"The festival has survived for eight decades and we continue to focus on the uniqueness of our art and culture together with local way of life," says Ubon Ratchathani Governor, Suthi Makboon.

"We would like to make our festival as international as the ice sculpture competition in Sapporo, Japan."

This religious affair is essentially about making huge candles for the monks during the threemonth Buddhist Lent when they stay at the temples.

In the old days, villagers simply melted beeswax and poured it into bamboo tubes to form the candles. Local artisans in Ubon Ratchthani gave the Buddhist Lent's candles a spiritually artful twist by adding carvings of animals around the base.

Held for the first time in 1927, Ubon Ratchathani's Candle Festival blends religions with local fun. Teams of abbots, master candle carvers and local communities create candle processions to compete with each other. Faith, fun and happiness can be found amid the vast crowds on the downtown streets.

"You can expect many more spectacular events this year because we have make it more extravagant to honour HM the King's 80th birthday," says the governor.

Today and tomorrow, spectators can enjoy the province's Arts and Culture Festival with Isaan folk music and dance.

From Monday though July 22, 30 artisans from nine countries, including Canada, France and Japan, will compete in the international wax sculpture competition. These international artists, many with wellrespected profiles, will be showcasing avantgarde, often quirky, pieces of candle art.

The celebrations continue into the night, with candles providing light for pedestrians. Visitors can also enjoy folk music along with light and sound performances.

The festival wraps on July 30 with candle processions, floats and dancers.

Nattaporn Luangpiat

The Nation