CHIANG MAI, 12 March 2012 – Chiang Mai province has marked the 1st anniversary of the Tsunami and earthquake tragedy, which occurred in Japan last year.
Japanese and Thais in Chiang Mai province have together held the Tenkawa memorial event to remember those who lost their lives during the twin disasters that hit Japan on March 11th, 2011. Tenkawa means the Milky Way.
A thousand lanterns were released in the night sky to represent the Milky Way. The Lanna people, who are Chiang Mai predecessors, believe that the ceremony would lead the souls to heaven.
Buddhist prayers and merit making ceremonies were also held, during which participants made donations to the disaster victims. Other activities organized by both Thai and Japanese included mini-concerts, food stalls selling varieties of food, Japanese drum performance, dance shows, and cosplay, or costume play.
One year ago today, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake unleashed a wall of water that hit Japan’s northeastern coast, killing nearly 16,000 and leaving nearly 3,300 unaccounted for. Japan has now nearly 100% recovered.
