Chiang Mai, Thailand's city to the North, is a quiet city of culture and history.



Many tourists take advantage of the quieter pace of life to take classes in traditional Thai massage and Thai cooking. Others rent motorcycles to explore temples in the surrounding area. The best way to take in both the culture and the history of this great Thai city is to visit during the yearly Inthakin Ceremony. It is a completely different festival compared with the famous and riotous Songkran water festival or the more sedate Loi Kratong festival.

The unique festival takes place every year during the eighth month of the lunar calendar on the 12th day of the waning moon. This year that falls on May 13th. Ceremonies and celebrations generally go on for seven days, ending on May 20th this year.

During the week, the people of Chiang Mai pay their respects to the city's pillar. Legend as it that once, long ago, when the city was only really a small settlement and Buddhism as a religion was all but unknown in the world, a hermit advised the people living in the region to build a special pillar to ward off demons. The pillar still exists today, although it is encased in cement, forming the statue known as Fon Saan Haa (One Hundred Thousand Drops of Rain). Legend says that when the people of Chiang Mai were prevented from paying homage to the pillar by their ruler, the city of Chiang Mai fell to the invading Burmese.

The first day of the festival is the best day to be in the streets. One unsuspecting tourist was hiding under an awning from the rain when the procession swept towards her. ?Suddenly the air was full of perfume and incense,? she recalls. ?Suddenly the streets were full of golden chariots, waving blue flags and what seemed like hundreds of people all in traditional clothes, laughing and smiling and urging me to join them.?

People line the streets in order to sprinkle perfumed water upon the touring image of Buddha. It is thought that by doing so, they will bring good rain to the region and good health for themselves and their families.

The party in the streets continues after the statue of Buddha containing the pillar has returned to its place in the temple. Every night during the festival, there are performances showcasing many aspects of traditional Thai culture including dances and musical recitals. Some of the instruments played during the festival are very rare and difficult to hear in use these days. Particular treats include the Lance Dance and the Sword Dance. Even just being out on the streets at night, is special, however, taking in the spirit of the people of Chiang Mai, listening to their laughter and strolling under the city lights.

?I heard that the festival was supposed to bring peace to the city, but at night, it is anything but peaceful,? said Robyn Sealy, a Canadian tourist, with a grin. ?It's a great celebration, but very Thai, nothing at all like a Canadian street party.?

Other aspects of the celebrations are, indeed, more peaceful. During the week, 28 mats are placed around the courtyard of the Wat Chedi Luang temple. Each mat represents one of the previous lives of Buddha. The belief in 28 previous incarnations is not a widespread Buddhist practice, but specific to this area of Thailand. Worshippers place offerings on the mats and every day, monks in the temple perform a ceremony to honor each Buddha. By the seventh day, the temple compound is full of flowers and joss sticks and heaps of melted wax.

The final element of the celebrations occurs on the last day at the temple. One hundred and eight monks gather in order to bestow one final blessing upon the Buddha statue. City residents wishing to gain merit for their future reincarnations often gather after the blessing to below gifts upon the monks, such as food and their daily necessities. Soon after, however, the streets of Chiang Mai return to their quiet calm, the clouds of incense disperse into the warm winds and the flowers fade and are swept away. The Fon Saan Haa Buddha image, with its ancient teak and gold pillar of protection hidden inside are replaced under the shade of a gum tree and the people of Chiang Mai return to life, as it always is, knowing that the city is safe and the rain will soon come.