Buddhist Ceremony - Wian Tian - Candlelight Procession

On the major Buddhist Holidays, Thai Buddhists will gather in the evening at Temples all over Thailand to take part in a Buddhist Ceremony known as ‘Wian Tian”. Wian Tian is a candlelight procession where the people will walk three times around a Temple in a clockwise direction, carrying a lighted candle, Joss sticks and flowers which will later be given as an offering to pay homage to the Lord Buddha. “Wian” means to circle and “Tian” is a candle

The three circumnavigations of the Temple represent the three essential parts of Buddhism, 1. The Buddha 2. The Dhamma 3. The Sangha which are known as the Three Gems or Triple Gem. The Buddha is our Spiritual Father and the founder of Buddhism. The Dhamma is the teachings of Buddha and the Sangha, which is the community of disciples or followers who teach the Dhamma to lay people.

We were in Chiang Mai for one of these Buddhist Holidays, Makha Bucha, and visited Wat Chedi Luang, an ancient Temple in the city, to take part in the Wian Tian Buddhist Ceremony. As is usual on these occasions, the Temple was crowded with both Thai people and visitors and of course anyone can take part in this ceremony, Buddhists and non Buddhists alike.