Devotees have to travel about 2km in this way: Pace three steps, fall prostrate to the ground, palms open towards the sky, rise, and repeat until they reach the end of the march. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
SAFFRON-CLAD monks watched over nearly 5,000 devout Buddhists taking up positions at sunset at the Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on Friday.
In a sea of prostrate bodies, the devotees followed an ancient Buddhist ritual - the 'Three-steps, one-bow' march - which Buddhists practice here on the eve of Vesak Day, or the day believed to be the Gautama Buddha's day of birth, and his enlightenment.
The ritual is an arduous but fulfilling one.
At the temple in Bright Hill Road, devotees have to travel about 2km in this way: Pace three steps, fall prostrate to the ground, palms open towards the sky, rise, and repeat until they reach the end of the march.
The entire journey takes around 21/2 hours to finish.
On Friday, the procession began at 6.30pm and is expected to continue until 9am on Saturday morning - with several groups preferring to march in the cooler hours of early morning.
It begins again on Saturday at the same time.
Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
