Candle Festival, Ubon Ratchanthani 08

[WujouMao]

i took a 3 week holiday to Thailand to see the Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchanthani in july 2008. After picking up leaflets from Thailand last year, i knew i had to see this!

just 2 of these cost B300. thats about a fiver. A thing like that in UK would cost more, and thats just one of them!


ok. i rocked up a couple of days before the festival kicked off. i wanted to see the Monks preparing the statues by cutting the wax from the molds by hand, and placing them on the figures, and the floats.




the blade which is used to cut this has to be changed every 20 mins, or its just going to rip the wax instead of cuttling through like a hot knife through butter






Detail is amazing, and painstakinly slow. a whole float takes over 6 months. everything handmade, and nothing taken from drawings etc.






the bow of the float


There are 2 types of wax models. either plain wax, or decorated wax. i don't know which is better. both are fine.








i was hungry, so i had the chilli's and ants again....


and catterpillers....


but i don't fancy the new born sparrows


got mobbed again for a photo shoot


i bet the girls are saying 'is that a camera in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me'?


The day of the festival






you could say i was getting drunk so very early in the morning

[MeMock]

Great start W Mao, I have never been to the candle festival and you have provided a very good inside look so far. Cheers.

[WujouMao]

Great start W Mao, I have never been to the candle festival and you have provided a very good inside look so far. Cheers.

Cheers mate. its not very popular with other falang. just seems to be very very popular with the Thai's. just be sure to turn up a few days before the event and secure a place to stay, or you may find you have to do a day trip from a nearby province

this cute couple were drawing crowds of laughing Thai's, just to take a picture of them!






As you can see, the detail is amazing.


Just think how much wax is used for this process.










As with every Festival, there's dancing


i left there, and did a stop over in Khorat, to find these outside the Mall. i guess many parts of Isan celebrate the festival, but the heart is in Ubon




reminds you of Marzipan right?


other photos from Ubon, taken a year before i knew about the festival. Wat Phra That Nong Bua. Almost an exact replica of the Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, India.


Having a kip


Thung Si Meuang Park, a concrete replica of an elaborate votive candle.


woman selling lotus plants. people eat them all the times in the sticks, and 1st place i saw it was in Laos.

[Johnny Longprong]

What do they do with the wax after the festival I wonder? Do they melt it down for next year? If this is an annual thing they must recycle the floats but redo the wax stuff each year? Funny mob eh?

[Propagator]

Excellant pictures again.

[WujouMao]

What do they do with the wax after the festival I wonder? Do they melt it down for next year? If this is an annual thing they must recycle the floats but redo the wax stuff each year? Funny mob eh?

yea, i hear they recyle the lot for next year. as for the wax, a community person helping the Monk explain the wax comes from bees! I would of though candle wax be better, but he said the bees wax was easy to work with

[SnotGoblin]

fantastic thread, loved the pictures. thank you

[mysticpaki]

Whats the date in july for this awesome candle festival??

[ossierob]

Well done WM...that was a great story...I will put it on the list of places and times to visit

[Bob63]

Interesting, thx for posting