Wesak Day this year fell on 17th May and despite the rain, many devotees turned up at temples to pray and to watch the float procession in the evening. I am told it is the year 2555 in the Buddhist calendar and in some temples, special prayers were held, thousands of candles lit and offerings made as homage to Lord Buddha.
We visited Phor Tay Temple as usual in the morning to "bathe" a small statue of Lord Buddha. This act is a symbolic reminder to purify our heart and mind from greed, hatred and ignorance.
In the evening, we waited along Pangkor Road
People were clicking away all around me and sometimes it was difficult to take a good picture as someone would be blocking my view. I always look forward to the float which carries a Buddhist monk sprinkling holy water. Those of us standing in front had a good drenching and in the process, my camera also received a good measure of blessings! Unfortunately I wasn't fast enough to take a picture of all this!
This is probably the smallest float in the procession - it looked more like a four-wheel carriage!
This float is my favourite because of its subtle colours and beautiful decorations.
I'm not quite sure what this trishaw is carrying but it certainly caught the attention of the crowd!
This is the main float with the golden statue of Lord Buddha. It was decorated mainly with orchids, some forming the shape of Buddhist symbols.
It started raining about half an hour after the procession started. Fortunately it was only a light drizzle but all the devotees were prepared for it and as soon as the first drops of rain fell, dozens of umbrellas popped up!
It was an eventful day and hopefully, all have been showered not only by the rain but by Lord Buddha's blessings as well!
"The kind of seed sown
will produce that kind of fruit.
Those who do good will reap good results.
Those who do evil will reap evil results.
If you carefully plant a good seed,
You will joyfully gather good fruit."
Dhammapada
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