Hundreds of thousands of people from North Thailand flock to Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai to worship the City Pillar at the annual Inthakin festival. The celebration invokes peace, happiness and prosperity for the city and its residents. Busy street parades, images of Buddha, flowers and candles decorate the city for a week. City Pillar Inthakin Festival (Tam Boon Khan Dok), a unique festival to Chiang Mai, starts on the day of the waning moon of the sixth lunar month and lasts 6–8 days.
The people of Chiang Mai believe that the City Pillar contains the souls of former townspeople and it is considered one of Chiang Mai's sacred sites. It is now housed in its own special shrine called Viharn Jaturamook. The City Pillar can only be seen during the festival dates and women are not permitted to enter the shrine but can view it through the entrance portals while men may enter and pray. Centered around Wat Chedi Luang where the City Pillar is housed, this is a celebration of brahmic origin. Offerings are made to the City Pillar, which is believed to be able to bring rain, as well as the many other Buddhist and Lanna-era icons.
On the first day of the festival, a Buddha image of Phra Chao Fon Saen Ha will be paraded around the streets of Chiang Mai city while locals wait along the street side to sprinkle blessed water (Nam Som Poi) to the statue. When the Buddha image returns to Chedi Luang temple, a ritual of flower offerings begins. Crowds of people come to make merit by offering flowers, candle and joss stick on the bowls in the forecourts of the temple.
Apart from offering flowers to the thirty-two trays, making merit by donating money to your own Buddha image (based on day of birth) is also believed to bring good luck to the donor. The ceremony ends with closing chants from 108 monks gathered at Wat Chedi Luang.
There are traditional events featured every night within the temple grounds including musical performances, traditional performances of sword dancing and lance dancing. Carnival games, and the ubiquitous Thai vendor food is present and visitors will also enjoy listening to local Northern Thailand traditional music. This is a very large celebration in which the Chiang Mai citizenry participate.