We wandered through the marquees and tents, looking at the different foods available, made a mental note to have a look another time and walked to the cbd.
we decided to walk home the same way and it was on our way back that we stumbled upon the opening ceremony beginning - the festival of the light. The Suncorp piazza had been decorated colourfully with statues of Buddha at the centre. There were lion dancers performing and the '7 news team' were there filming. So we sat down and waited for the ceremony to begin.
Brisbane Big Wheel
2012 is the year of the 'Waterdragon'.
The history of Buddha's birthday dates back over 25 centuries and it is not surprising that the wisdom and philosophies of Buddha have left a big mark on Asian culture.
Back to the opening ceremony - The lion dancers opened the ceremony. They were brilliant.
They were followed by a martial arts performance by a local martial arts group.
Then 'Ou Wei Ting' took the floor. He is said to be the 'greatest face changing magician of our time'. He holds the record of 20 face changes in under a minute. This was his first visit to Australia.
Happy Buddha Birthday!
So if you happen to be in Brisbane in May, then you should definitely check out the Buddha birthday celebrations. Its all free and a great experience!
All rights reserved Copyright © Laura Powell
we decided to walk home the same way and it was on our way back that we stumbled upon the opening ceremony beginning - the festival of the light. The Suncorp piazza had been decorated colourfully with statues of Buddha at the centre. There were lion dancers performing and the '7 news team' were there filming. So we sat down and waited for the ceremony to begin.
7 news reporters
2012 is the year of the 'Waterdragon'.
The history of Buddha's birthday dates back over 25 centuries and it is not surprising that the wisdom and philosophies of Buddha have left a big mark on Asian culture.
Back to the opening ceremony - The lion dancers opened the ceremony. They were brilliant.
They were followed by a martial arts performance by a local martial arts group.
Then 'Ou Wei Ting' took the floor. He is said to be the 'greatest face changing magician of our time'. He holds the record of 20 face changes in under a minute. This was his first visit to Australia.
At this point I had a photography fail.... the battery on my camera ran out and I didnt have a spare.
A juggler by the name of 'Yang Yi Chaun' then took the floor, he can juggle 9 objects in 1 hand.
We left the festival feeling suitably enlightened and very content!
We walked through the stalls over the following days and sampled some of the delicious food.
This was a particularly interesting food stall........
I was curious to try the 'VEGETARIAN Pork/ Beef/ Chicken' but didnt brave it in the end. Haha.
Sunday was the finale of the festival and it ended with a huge fireworks display over the river!
We weren't sure where the display was going to happen, we just knew that it was on the river. As we were walking along with a few thousand other people I spotted a good spot on the grass and we sat there. Turns out that we were sat directly in front of the barge from which the fireworks were set off, we had an amazing view.
The crowds at South Bank watching the fireworks.
A Nepalese pagoda is also located on South Bank, within close proximity to the Buddha birthday celebrations. The Pagado was brought to Australia in 1988 after Nepal agreed during the United Nations year of Peace in 1986 to participate in the World expo in 1988.
It is one of only 3 peace pagodas outside of Nepal. Its cultural importance is paramount. It is a beautiful structure in a calming, peaceful area.
So if you happen to be in Brisbane in May, then you should definitely check out the Buddha birthday celebrations. Its all free and a great experience!
All rights reserved Copyright © Laura Powell
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