Colourful Chinese procession honours Mother Goddess - Bangkok

01/19

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A two-man dragon blesses a shop in Phra Khanong market.

02/19

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A small boy plays the cymbals in the procession through Phra Khanong market.

03/19

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An elderly woman dances with others to the live music being played by members of the Chinese procession in Phra Khanong market.

04/19

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This man's shop is blessed by a two-man dragon as he makes an offering.

05/19

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Among the dancers in the procession these women carry burning incense sticks.

06/19

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Brightly dressed girls carry garlands in the procession through Phra Khanong market.

07/19

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The dragons pause outside a 7/11 store to drink some well-earned water.

08/19

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Garlands of flowers adorn the front of the procession, which waits as the dragons pause to take some refreshment on this extremely hot day.

09/19

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The man in the centre pauses from his role of blessing passers-by with water flicked from a brush.

10/19

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Two gong-thumpers share a joke as the colourful procession pauses in Phra Khanong, Pridi Soi 2.

11/19

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A two-man dragon makes it way out of a bakery after running inside to bless it during the Chinese procession through Phra Khanong market.

12/19

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A 5-man human 'pole' is erected in the middle of Sukhumvit Soi 71, alongside the twisted overhead cables so typical of the streets of Bangkok.

13/19

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Brightly dressed girls carry banners bearing the name of the 'Mother Goddess', Jao Mae Tub Tim, as they walk past Jusco supermarket in Sukhumvit Soi 71.

14/19

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Part of the colourful procession as it makes its way along Sukhumvit Soi 71.

15/19

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Part of the colourful procession as it makes its way along Sukhumvit Soi 71.

16/19

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A woman walks alongside the procession collecting donations towards the shrine of Jao Mae Tub Tim.

17/19

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A very young cymbal player in pensive mood towards the rear of the procession through Phra Khanong market.

18/19

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The drummers towards the rear of the procession through Phra Khanong market.

19/19

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On this extremely hot morning, the 'dragons' remove their head gear to cool down as they walk along Sukhumvit Soi 71.

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The birthday, on 13th April, of the Chinese ‘Mother Goddess’, Jao Mae Tub Tim, was celebrated by a colourful, noisy procession, headed by three lively dancing dragons, through the streets of Bangkok.

Deafening firecrackers were set off every few hundred metres to announce the approach of the procession. Three two-man dragons swept into shops along the way which had a small table of offerings outside. The shops were blessed, the dragons ran out and donations were collected in boxes to support the city's shrine to Jao Mae Tub Tim.

In front of Soi 2, a 5-man human pole was formed by four orange-clad youngsters climbing onto one another's shoulders in the middle of the street

These images were taken between 9 and 10.30 am in Phra Khanong, Sukhumvit Soi 71, and in the market area backing onto Phra Khanong khlong, the other side of which is On Nut.