In images: The Wai Kru Spirited Tattoo Festival at Wat Bang Phra in Thailand
On 6 March 2023, the world celebrated a variety of events and festivals. In Paris, France, a huge sculpture in the likeness of Yayoi Kusama was erected to honor Louis Vuitton's collaboration with the famous artist. Thailand hosted a large Makha Bucha Day ceremony with 1,000 monks and 100,000 candles while devotees from various countries gathered virtually due to Covid-19. Meanwhile, Buddhists in Sri Lanka participated in religious observances on full moon days at temples and Nepalese celebrated Holi Festival with color foam and water splashes. Additionally, Dominicans celebrated Carnival Parade with music, dance and colors while Indian students celebrated Holi festival in Kolkata. Finally, Chinese citizens danced with red fans as part of their annual Two Sessions political meetings.
A woman receives a traditional tattoo called a Sak Yant at Wat Bang Phra on March 04, 2023 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Each year thousands of people take part in the Wai Kru Spirited Tattoo Festival at Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. The event starts the first Friday of March when devotees line up at the temple to receive a sacred tattoo called a Sak Yant, continuing until the following day when Buddhist monks perform rituals. Throughout the ceremony audience members fall into a trance, often mimicking the animal portrayed on their tattoo. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)
A huge sculpture in the likeness of Yayoi Kusama is erected between the headquarters of the Maison Louis Vuitton and the Samaritaine department store on March 06, 2023 in Paris, France. A free, masterful, and surprising installation in honor of Louis Vuitton's new collaboration with the famous designer. Yayoi Kusama is an avant-garde Japanese contemporary artist, painter, sculptor and writer who often uses polka dots and colors in her works. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images) Thai Buddhist monks chant before an almsgiving ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on Makha Bucha Day on March 06, 2023 in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Makha Bucha Day is one of the holiest days in Buddhism and is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month. The holiday commemorates the day when 1,250 monks gathered to be ordained by Buddha. The Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province hosts a large gathering of 1,000 monks with 100,000 candles. Thousands of devotees from various countries attended the event, which was held in person after the past few years were held virtually due to Covid-19. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images) A view of Wat Dhammakaya during a Makha Bucha Day ceremony on March 06, 2023 in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Makha Bucha Day is one of the holiest days in Buddhism and is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images) Thai Buddhist monks, holding candles and flowers, circle around the Wat Suthat temple, to mark Makha Bucha Buddhist holy day celebration in Bangkok, Thailand, 06 March 2023. Thai Buddhists across the country celebrate the Makha Bucha Day, a day in remembrance of an event when the Lord Buddha gave the first sermon on the essence of Buddhism to his ordained 1,250 monks disciples assembled all by spontaneously gathered without an appointment. EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK A Sri Lankan Buddhist devotee wets lotus flowers at a fountain during religious observance on a full moon day at a temple in the Kelaniya suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 06 March 2023. Buddhism is the official religion of the South Asian island nation and the majority of the island's population traditionally engages in religious observances on full moon days. EPA-EFE/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE A young Nepalese girl displays color foam for sale during the Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 06 March 2023. Holi, also known as the 'Festival of Colors', marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over Nepal and neighboring India. EPA-EFE/NARENDRA SHRESTHA A local resident splashes water on a tourist during the Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 06 March 2023. Holi, also known as the 'Festival of Colors', marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over Nepal and neighboring India. EPA-EFE/NARENDRA SHRESTHA Artists participate in the Dominican carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 05 March 2023. Color, music and dance took over the boardwalk of the Dominican capital with the celebration of the National Carnival Parade. EPA-EFE/Orlando Barria Artists participate in the Dominican carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 05 March 2023. Color, music and dance took over the boardwalk of the Dominican capital with the celebration of the National Carnival Parade. EPA-EFE/Orlando Barria Indian students celebrate the Holi festival in Kolkata, India, 05 March 2023. Holi, also known as the Festival Of Colors, is an ancient Indian Hindu festival symbolizing the victory of good over evil and marking the arrival of spring. It is held annually with joyful gatherings during which revelers cover each other in colored powders. Holi 2023 falls on 08 March. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARY An elderly man dances with a red fan on a street in Beijing, China, 05 March 2023. China holds two major annual political meetings, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which run alongside and together are known as 'Lianghui' or 'Two Sessions'. EPA-EFE/WU HAO Demonstrators scuffle with riot policemen during clashes after the end of a rally in honor of the 57 victims of Greece's deadliest train crash, in central Athens, Greece, 05 March 2023. At least 57 people died following a head-on crash between two trains along the Athens-Thessaloniki line on the night of 28 February. EPA-EFE/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU Rohingya refugees search for their belongings after a fire broke out in Balukhali refugee camp in Ukhia, Cox’s bazaar, Bangladesh, 05 March 2023. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, over 90 facilities including hospitals and learning centres were damaged as a massive fire broke out at a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya upazila on 05 March afternoon. EPA-EFE/STR Russian woman feeds pigeons on the street in Moscow, Russia, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV Russian woman rides down an ice slide on tubing in front of layout of the carrier rocket Vostok installed as a monument at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKH) in Moscow, Russia, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV A sculpture of Atlant by the Danish sculptor David Jensen (1816 - 1902) is covered with melting ice at the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, 07 March 2023. The temperatures have reached zero degrees Celsius in the second-largest city in Russia. EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV A general view of the Gaziantep historical castle walls damaged in the earthquake, in Gaziantep, Turkey, 06 March 2023. More than 50,000 people died and thousands more were injured after major earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on 06 February and again on 20 February 2023. EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA A car landed in a pothole, outside Westpark Cemetry, Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday 04 March 2023. The following day, the pothole had been fixed. Image: Supplied Winner Jason Joseph of Switzerland, center, reacts as Enrique Llopis of Spain, left, lies on the track after he crashed and hit his head on the ground in the Men's 60 meters hurdles Final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships 2023 at the Atakoy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/MICHAEL BUHOLZER Danielle Scott of Australia in action during the Women's Aerial competition at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/MAYK WENDT Jazmin Sawyers of Britain celebrates after winning the Women's Long Jump final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/Tolga Bozoglu The artwork 'Reclining Nude' (1967) by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is on view at the exhibition 'PICASSO. ARTIST AND MODEL - LAST PAINTINGS' in the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland, 06 March 2022. Joining the international commemorations of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), the Fondation Beyeler will present a selection of ten late paintings in one room concerned with images of artist and model. EPA-EFE/GEORGIOS KEFALAS Filipino fishermen wearing protective suits collect oily waste along a beach in the coastal town of Pola, Mindoro island, Philippines, 06 March 2023. Affected fisherfolk were tapped by the government to work in containing an oil spill that washed ashore in their villages. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) race to contain the spread of an oil spill caused by the sinking of an oil tanker off the coast of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro province on 28 February. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG Climate activists of the Lookdown collective protest against deep seabed mining, in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ DM/ ML
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2GettyImages-1471614616.jpg "A huge sculpture in the likeness of Yayoi Kusama is erected between the headquarters of the Maison Louis Vuitton and the Samaritaine department store on March 06, 2023 in Paris, France. A free, masterful, and surprising installation in honor of Louis Vuitton's new collaboration with the famous designer. Yayoi Kusama is an avant-garde Japanese contemporary artist, painter, sculptor and writer who often uses polka dots and colors in her works. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/3GettyImages-1471551343.jpg "Thai Buddhist monks chant before an almsgiving ceremony at Wat Dhammakaya on Makha Bucha Day on March 06, 2023 in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Makha Bucha Day is one of the holiest days in Buddhism and is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month. The holiday commemorates the day when 1,250 monks gathered to be ordained by Buddha. The Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple in Pathum Thani province hosts a large gathering of 1,000 monks with 100,000 candles. Thousands of devotees from various countries attended the event, which was held in person after the past few years were held virtually due to Covid-19. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/4GettyImages-1471674757.jpg "A view of Wat Dhammakaya during a Makha Bucha Day ceremony on March 06, 2023 in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Makha Bucha Day is one of the holiest days in Buddhism and is celebrated on the full moon of the third lunar month. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/5-11343694.jpg "Thai Buddhist monks, holding candles and flowers, circle around the Wat Suthat temple, to mark Makha Bucha Buddhist holy day celebration in Bangkok, Thailand, 06 March 2023. Thai Buddhists across the country celebrate the Makha Bucha Day, a day in remembrance of an event when the Lord Buddha gave the first sermon on the essence of Buddhism to his ordained 1,250 monks disciples assembled all by spontaneously gathered without an appointment. EPA-EFE/NARONG SANGNAK")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/6-11343155.jpg "A Sri Lankan Buddhist devotee wets lotus flowers at a fountain during religious observance on a full moon day at a temple in the Kelaniya suburb of Colombo, Sri Lanka, 06 March 2023. Buddhism is the official religion of the South Asian island nation and the majority of the island's population traditionally engages in religious observances on full moon days. EPA-EFE/CHAMILA KARUNARATHNE")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/7-11343338.jpg "A young Nepalese girl displays color foam for sale during the Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 06 March 2023. Holi, also known as the 'Festival of Colors', marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over Nepal and neighboring India. EPA-EFE/NARENDRA SHRESTHA")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/8-11343333.jpg "A local resident splashes water on a tourist during the Holi Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, 06 March 2023. Holi, also known as the 'Festival of Colors', marks the beginning of spring and is celebrated all over Nepal and neighboring India. EPA-EFE/NARENDRA SHRESTHA")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/9-11343114.jpg "Artists participate in the Dominican carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 05 March 2023. Color, music and dance took over the boardwalk of the Dominican capital with the celebration of the National Carnival Parade. EPA-EFE/Orlando Barria")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/10-11342956.jpg "Artists participate in the Dominican carnival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 05 March 2023. Color, music and dance took over the boardwalk of the Dominican capital with the celebration of the National Carnival Parade. EPA-EFE/Orlando Barria")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11-11341996.jpg "Indian students celebrate the Holi festival in Kolkata, India, 05 March 2023. Holi, also known as the Festival Of Colors, is an ancient Indian Hindu festival symbolizing the victory of good over evil and marking the arrival of spring. It is held annually with joyful gatherings during which revelers cover each other in colored powders. Holi 2023 falls on 08 March. EPA-EFE/PIYAL ADHIKARY")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/12-11342001.jpg "An elderly man dances with a red fan on a street in Beijing, China, 05 March 2023. China holds two major annual political meetings, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which run alongside and together are known as 'Lianghui' or 'Two Sessions'. EPA-EFE/WU HAO")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/13-11342004.jpg "Demonstrators scuffle with riot policemen during clashes after the end of a rally in honor of the 57 victims of Greece's deadliest train crash, in central Athens, Greece, 05 March 2023. At least 57 people died following a head-on crash between two trains along the Athens-Thessaloniki line on the night of 28 February. EPA-EFE/ORESTIS PANAGIOTOU")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/14-11342863.jpg "Rohingya refugees search for their belongings after a fire broke out in Balukhali refugee camp in Ukhia, Cox’s bazaar, Bangladesh, 05 March 2023. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) report, over 90 facilities including hospitals and learning centres were damaged as a massive fire broke out at a Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar's Ukhiya upazila on 05 March afternoon. EPA-EFE/STR")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/15-11343560.jpg "Russian woman feeds pigeons on the street in Moscow, Russia, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/16-11343376.jpg "Russian woman rides down an ice slide on tubing in front of layout of the carrier rocket Vostok installed as a monument at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy (VDNKH) in Moscow, Russia, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/YURI KOCHETKOV")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/17-11343562.jpg "A sculpture of Atlant by the Danish sculptor David Jensen (1816 - 1902) is covered with melting ice at the Beloselsky-Belozersky Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, 07 March 2023. The temperatures have reached zero degrees Celsius in the second-largest city in Russia. EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/18-11343579.jpg "A general view of the Gaziantep historical castle walls damaged in the earthquake, in Gaziantep, Turkey, 06 March 2023. More than 50,000 people died and thousands more were injured after major earthquakes struck southern Turkey and northern Syria on 06 February and again on 20 February 2023. EPA-EFE/SEDAT SUNA")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/19-WhatsApp-Image-2023-03-06-at-12.44.31.jpeg "A car landed in a pothole, outside Westpark Cemetry, Johannesburg, South Africa, Saturday 04 March 2023. The following day, the pothole had been fixed. Image: Supplied")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/20-11342957.jpg "Winner Jason Joseph of Switzerland, center, reacts as Enrique Llopis of Spain, left, lies on the track after he crashed and hit his head on the ground in the Men's 60 meters hurdles Final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships 2023 at the Atakoy Athletics Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/MICHAEL BUHOLZER")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11342337.jpg "Danielle Scott of Australia in action during the Women's Aerial competition at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in St. Moritz, Switzerland, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/MAYK WENDT")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11342862.jpg "Jazmin Sawyers of Britain celebrates after winning the Women's Long Jump final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, 05 March 2023. EPA-EFE/Tolga Bozoglu")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11343608.jpg "The artwork 'Reclining Nude' (1967) by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is on view at the exhibition 'PICASSO. ARTIST AND MODEL - LAST PAINTINGS' in the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland, 06 March 2022. Joining the international commemorations of the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), the Fondation Beyeler will present a selection of ten late paintings in one room concerned with images of artist and model. EPA-EFE/GEORGIOS KEFALAS")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11343112-1.jpg "Filipino fishermen wearing protective suits collect oily waste along a beach in the coastal town of Pola, Mindoro island, Philippines, 06 March 2023. Affected fisherfolk were tapped by the government to work in containing an oil spill that washed ashore in their villages. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) race to contain the spread of an oil spill caused by the sinking of an oil tanker off the coast of Naujan town in Oriental Mindoro province on 28 February. EPA-EFE/FRANCIS R. MALASIG")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/11343712.jpg "Climate activists of the Lookdown collective protest against deep seabed mining, in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, 06 March 2023. EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ DM/ ML")
A woman receives a traditional tattoo called a Sak Yant at Wat Bang Phra on March 04, 2023 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Each year thousands of people take part in the Wai Kru Spirited Tattoo Festival at Wat Bang Phra in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. The event starts the first Friday of March when devotees line up at the temple to receive a sacred tattoo called a Sak Yant, continuing until the following day when Buddhist monks perform rituals. Throughout the ceremony audience members fall into a trance, often mimicking the animal portrayed on their tattoo. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)