Tourist attractions off the beaten track
A lake covered with a carpet of red water lilies, twenty-meter-high bamboo structures hung with offerings, the ritual washing of a statuette of Chao Mae Yu-hua and a candlelight cruise. Just a few tourist attractions off the beaten track. We give five tips:
The lake with the red water lilies in Udon Thani
It is between October and March Nong Harn lake of 20.000 rai completely covered with red water lilies. They bloom from sunrise to noon. Boats sail onto the lake from Ban Diem.
Loy Krathong in Mae Hong Son
The residents make a 4-meter krathong and place utensils on it as a tribute to eight saints. After the ceremony, the offerings are wrapped in leaves and placed at temples at night so that the monks do not know who gave what.
Candlelight cruise on Lake Phayao
Residents regularly sail to a temple in the middle of the lake to make a wish. The 500-year-old temple is largely under water, but a pagoda and a statue of Buddha still protrude above the water.
Wat Phra That Haripunchai in Lamphun – Akira Kaelyn / Shutterstock.com
Ritual washing of the statuette (2×2,5 meters) of Chao Mae Yu-hua in Songkhla
On the first Wednesday of May, the inhabitants pay homage to the goddess. Some dance the local manohra dance for her. The statue was cast in gold 300 years ago and is kept in a round container in nine layers of fabric of different colors.
Salak yom at the Wat Phra That Haripunchai in Lamphun
At Wat Phra That Haripunchai in the provincial heart of Lamphun, the Yong ethnic minority group builds 20-metre-high towers of painted bamboo strips, known as salak yom, at the end of Buddhist Lent. They are filled with offerings, such as snacks, candles, cigarettes, matches, money and so on. Every year 20 towers are built as a symbol for Yong girls who reach the marriageable age of 20 years.