Chaiyaphum's Giant Candle Tree Parade Opens Unique Bun Kathin Festival
Chaiyaphum's Nong Bua Daeng district hosted its annual Bun Kathin festival featuring nine giant candle trees over six meters tall paraded along a cultural street. Government officials, local MP 'Idear', and Miss World 2025 'Opal' joined thousands of residents and tourists for the opening ceremony and traditional performances. The festival preserves Buddhist traditions and local wisdom while promoting cultural tourism in the northeastern province.
Chaiyaphum's grand Bun Kathin festival kicked off in Nong Bua Daeng district, featuring nine towering candle trees over six meters high, decorated and lined along a 500-meter cultural street. The event drew Thai and foreign tourists to witness the once-a-year local tradition. On October 22, Governor Anan Naknim and officials joined residents to view the parade of giant candle trees, folk dances in Isan attire, cultural performances, and presentations of new agricultural concepts reflecting community wisdom and unity.
The evening highlight saw Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Sukkhamsamorn Wanthaniyom preside over the opening ceremony. Chaiyaphum MP District 4 'Idear' Suchada Sangthaenthip and Miss World 2025 'Opal' Suchata Chuangsri joined over 1,500 locals in a fon dance performance accompanied by light, sound, and songs reflecting local identity, including 'Bucha Phaya Lae', 'Nong Bua Daeng Dan Ngam', 'On Son Nong Bua Daeng (Bun Kathin)', and 'Hoi Tham Bun Kathin'.
The atmosphere was filled with excitement and pride among Nong Bua Daeng residents, with a drone letter formation adding color to the opening ceremony. The Bun Kathin tradition, rooted in Buddhist beliefs, involves villagers grinding dried coconut husks into powder, wrapping them in paper, and decorating with colored paper to construct multi-tiered candle trees resembling ornate umbrellas for offerings during the end of Buddhist Lent. Since 2002, the community and temples have promoted the craft as a district-level tradition to preserve local wisdom and create a tourism highlight.
The 2026 Bun Kathin festival runs from October 21-25 before the candle trees are offered at various temples during the end of Lent. Tourists are invited to experience the beauty of art, culture, faith, and the way of life of the Nong Bua Daeng community in Chaiyaphum province.
