11,250 monks in Chiang Mai ceremony

[FrogBlogger]

All at the same alms-giving ceremony this morning.

Nearly didn't make it, having to get up at the unearthly hour of 5am, but it was well worth it.

They came from all over the provinces of northern Thailand. There were some 100,000 alms-givers and onlookers, I heard...





Good to see the army doing something useful ... a battalion present to help carry the tons of food, medicine etc ...



5.45 am ...



The abbott leading the ceremony...



Younger monks with name tags in case they get lost ...

- Knackered now though. Won't be getting up at that time again in a hurry..

[daveboy]

That must have been some event, nice pics.

[Johnny Longprong]

Younger monks with name tags in case they get lost ...

Maybe to help the mums and dads find theirs amongst all the other saffron robed bald kiddies 5555.

Thanks for the shots. The Abbott looks a nice fella.

[DrB0b]

Any idea why 11,250? Normally I have 3 monks turn up at my house every morning. Yesterday there were 30 of the orange buggers, had to give away about 20 pounds of food and three packs of Sai Fon, one of them stole my lighter.

[FrogBlogger]

All I know is that they came from provinces all over the north, and it was some kind of record. Some of the food was being sent to wats in the south of Thailand, I heard.

Maybe it says more in this poster, but the wife's not here to translate ...

[DrB0b]

^did you just steal that from a telephone pole

[FrogBlogger]

you get a free poster with every 100 baht note you donate

Seems it says something about there being the same ceremonies taking place all over Thailand. No idea what it was all about.

[sabang]

Kings birthday?

[FrogBlogger]

Don't think so, at least someone said not.