Chiang Mai City Pillar Festival

The annual Chiang Mai City Pillar Ceremony, or Inthakhin Ceremony, has just taken place at Wat Chedi Luang in the center of the old city, the event took place between 20th - 27th May, and is revered as one of the most important festivals in the Chiang Mai calender.

Chiang Mai annually celebrates Inthakhin for seven auspicious days starting from the 12th night of the waning moon in the 8th lunar month, which usually falls during the 2nd half of May & the 1st week of June.

Legend has it that the ceremony will bring good blessings to both participants at the festival and the city of Chiang Mai itself, and that the rains will fall in abundance to bring a bountiful harvest.

On the first day of the festival, a Buddha image of Phra Chao Fon Saen Ha will be paraded around Chiang Mai city while locals wait along the street side to sprinkle blessed water (Nam Som Poi) to the statue.

When the Buddha image returns to Wat Chedi Luang Temple, the ritual of flower offerings begins. People in Chiang Mai know Inthakhin ceremony as Tam Boon Khan Dok or Sai Khan Dok.

The name of the ceremony is derived from the ritual of Making Merit to the city pillar by offering flowers, incense and candles to 32 trays that lay around a Viharn of Inthakhin.

Chiang Mai City Pillar-Inthakhin Ceremony 2009-Offering Flowers
Apart from offering flowers to the thirty-two trays, making merit by donating money to your own Buddha image (based on day of birth) is also believed to bring good luck to the donor.

There are also evening traditional events featured every night within the temple, including traditional performances of sword dancing and lance dancing. Visitors will also enjoy listening to local Northern Thailand traditional music.

The ceremony ends on the seventh day with closing chants from 108 monks gathered at Wat Chedi Luang.