Month by Month - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 37

February
Still peak season for the region, and the coastline is busy with sun-seekers. Inland the
first round of rice harvesting is over, but in parts of Vietnam and Thailand they are
already onto round two.
Bun Wat Phu Champasak
The three-day Wat Phu Champasak Festival has an atmosphere somewhere between a kids'
carnival and music festival. The central ceremonies performed are Buddhist, culminating
with a dawn parade of monks receiving alms, followed that evening by a candlelit wíen
thíen (circumambulation) of the lower shrines.
Makha Bucha
One of three holy days marking important moments of Buddha's life, Makha Bucha falls
on the full moon of the third lunar month and commemorates Buddha preaching to 1250
enlightened monks who came to hear him 'without prior summons'. It's mainly a day for
temple visits.
Flower Festival
Chiang Mai displays its floral beauty during this three-day event. Flower-bedecked floats
parade through town.