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India and Nepal 2022
It's Thadingyut festival this weekend which is an important date in the Buddhist calendar. It represents the end of Buddhist lent and a time when the Buddha 'returned from heaven to earth'. It is also a full moon day and a symbolic end to the wet season.
On the Friday, I wear my longyi in the office and take in a cake for all my Akhaya colleagues.
At six o'clock on Sunday evening, I meet up with Savita and Ellen at Kyaik Waing pagoda just as the sun is setting. We walk up the steep steps and are greeted by a beautiful scene of thousands of candles and lighting all around the various buildings within the pagoda complex.
The he atmosphere is great. People are happy and joyful and many families gather, either sitting in groups or walking around the site.
Of course, the mobile phone camera is a new cultural aspect to this festival and we are stopped many times for photos. I am even photographed by a monk, which is a curious role reversal.
I take Savita and Ellen to meet my Trustee friends and as always, they make us most welcome.
It's a memorable evening and this is one festival which I shall always remember.
On the Friday, I wear my longyi in the office and take in a cake for all my Akhaya colleagues.
At six o'clock on Sunday evening, I meet up with Savita and Ellen at Kyaik Waing pagoda just as the sun is setting. We walk up the steep steps and are greeted by a beautiful scene of thousands of candles and lighting all around the various buildings within the pagoda complex.
The he atmosphere is great. People are happy and joyful and many families gather, either sitting in groups or walking around the site.
Of course, the mobile phone camera is a new cultural aspect to this festival and we are stopped many times for photos. I am even photographed by a monk, which is a curious role reversal.
I take Savita and Ellen to meet my Trustee friends and as always, they make us most welcome.
It's a memorable evening and this is one festival which I shall always remember.
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