At the start of the eleventh lunar month (usually in October) the people of Surat Thani celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent with the Chak Phra Festival (Pulling the Buddha), which symbolizes the Buddha’s return to earth after a monsoon season spent preaching to his mother in heaven. On the Tapi River, tugboats pull the town’s principal Buddha image on a raft decorated with huge nagas, while on land sleigh-like floats bearing Buddha images and colourful flags and parasols are hauled across the countryside and through the streets.