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Temple of Zoom: 200,000 Thai Buddhists mark holy day via video link

The festival commemorates the day when 1,250 monks gathered to be ordained by the Buddha

Published: February 27, 2021 12:52 Compiled by Balaram Menon, Senior Web Editor and with inputs from Reuters

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More than 200,000 Buddhist devotees gathered via Zoom video link on Friday to attend an annual prayer and lantern ritual held in Thailand to mark Makha Bucha Day, one of the religion's holiest holidays. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Screens show devotees gathering via the Zoom during a ceremony to commemorate Makha Bucha Day at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple, in Pathum Thani province. Image Credit: REUTERS

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The ritual began with a prayer in Pali, the language of ancient Buddhist scriptures, from a podium inside a sacred stupa after which hundreds of saffron-robed monks lit a sea of lanterns amid chanting. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Makha Bucha Day, one of the most important Buddhist festivals, usually attracts tens of thousands of believers to the Dhammakaya Temple on the outskirts of Bangkok. Image Credit: REUTERS

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But this year the temple has organised a 280-meter-long LED screen where devotees can attend virtually as a precaution measure because of COVID-19 restrictions. Image Credit: REUTERS

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"Due to the COVID-19 situation, we are holding an online ceremony this year. Normally, there will be hundreds of thousands of devotees who attend and light the lanterns here," Pha Sanitwong Wuttisangwo, the temple's director of communications, told Reuters. Image Credit: REUTERS

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"With the technology that we have today, we are able to connect with people via Zoom so that devotees can join us online." Image Credit: REUTERS

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The participants were mostly Thai but Buddhist devotees from other countries also attended. Image Credit: REUTERS

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A select group of 1,000 white-clad devotees were physically present at the temple to light lanterns on behalf of the virtual participants. Image Credit: REUTERS

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The festival commemorates the day when 1,250 monks gathered to be ordained by the Buddha more than 2,500 years ago. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Buddhist monks hold candles as screens show devotees gathering via the Zoom at the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Temple of Zoom: 200,000 Thai Buddhists mark holy day via video link

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Temple of Zoom: 200,000 Thai Buddhists mark holy day via video link

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