Show Navigation

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
{ 891 images found }

Loading ()...

  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      A boy who will be ordained as Buddhist novice prays during a chanting ceremony at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival029.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A boy who will be ordained as a Buddhist novice at the Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival007.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A boy who will be ordained as a Buddhist novice at the Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival006.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Boys who will be ordained as Buddhist novices during a chanting ceremony at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival031.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Boys who will be ordained as Buddhist novices during a chanting ceremony at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival030.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  Boys who will be ordained as Buddhist novices at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival017.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning025.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning024.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  Boys who will be ordained as Buddhist novices at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival021.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A boy who will be ordained as Buddhist novices at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival020.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A boy who will be ordained as Buddhist novices at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival019.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning026.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: The mothers of boys being ordained as Buddhist novices pray during the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival032.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Boys who will be ordained as Buddhist novices during a chanting ceremony at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival028.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Thai girls in traditional clothes play on a swing set at Wat Pa Pao. Their brothers are being ordained as Buddhist novices during the Poi Sang Long festival at the temple. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival026.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A boy who will be ordained as Buddhist novices at the Poi Sang Long Festival in the prayer hall at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival018.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice wearing a mask to block out smoke and pollutants works with his fellow novices at Wat Jetlin in Chiang Mai. The "burning season," which roughly goes from late February to late April, is when farmers in northern Thailand burn the dead grass and last year's stubble out of their fields. The burning creates clouds of smoke that causes breathing problems, reduces visibility and contributes to global warming. The Thai government has banned the burning and is making an effort to control it, but the farmers think it replenishes their soil (they use the ash as fertilizer) and it's cheaper than ploughing the weeds under.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiBurning027.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Thai girls in traditional clothes play on a swing set at Wat Pa Pao. Their brothers are being ordained as Buddhist novices during the Poi Sang Long festival at the temple. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival027.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2014 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: Buddhist novice monks in a Burmese community in the forest a few kilometers north of Mae Sot. Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmer (Burma) border, has a very large population of Burmese migrants. Some are refugees who left Myanmar to escape civil unrest and political persecution, others are "economic refugees" who came to Thailand looking for work and better opportunities.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMaeSot0301037.jpg
  • 02 JULY 2013 - ANGKOR WAT, SIEM REAP, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Buddhist novices at a small monastery near the Bayon temple in the Angkor Wat complex. The dots, which look like bruises, on the novice in the background, are from "cupping therapy." Angkor Wat is the largest temple complex in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu. It is the best-preserved temple at the site, and has remained a religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It is a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on the national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. The temple is admired for the architecture, the extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor, which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara. Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta." Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder. It is also the name of complex of temples, which includes Bayon and Preah Khan, in the vicinity. It is by far the most visited tourist attraction in Cambodia. More than half of all tourists to Cambodia visit Angkor.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AngkorWat0703043.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese man and a novice watch videos on a smart phone in their temple in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees051.jpg
  • 13 APRIL 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Thai novice monks receive alms during a merit making ceremony for Songkran at the Bangkok City Hall. Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year's Festival. It is held April 13-16. Many Thais mark the holiday by going to temples and making merit by giving extra alms to monks or offering extra prayers. They also mark Songkran with joyous water fights. Songkran has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Songkran048.jpg
  • 10 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A novice (student monk) operates a winch that sends Songkran offerings to the top of the chedi at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. Songkran is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and provides an excuse for people to cool off in friendly water fights that take place throughout the country. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SongkranPreparations013.jpg
  • 10 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A novice (student monk) operates a winch that sends Songkran offerings to the top of the chedi at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. Songkran is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and provides an excuse for people to cool off in friendly water fights that take place throughout the country. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SongkranPreparations014.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket004.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A cymbals player at the Poi Sang Long Festival in Wat Pa Pao. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival025.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Musicians perform at the Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival024.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      A man dances of the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival015.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival013.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival011.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Musicians perform at the Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival005.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A boy is carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival004.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:        Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival002.jpg
  • 20 SEPTEMBER 2017 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice at recess with his classmates at Wat  Ratchruek School along Khlong Bangkok Yai in the Thonburi section of Bangkok. Most Thai males join the Sangha (Buddhist clergy) at least once in their lives, sometimes for only a few weeks.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatRatchruekSchool 009.jpg
  • 25 AUGUST 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A novice monk on his morning alms rounds solicits a donation from a vendor in the flower market in Bangkok. Most Thai males enter the monastery and become monks or novices (young monks) at some point in their lives.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    0825FlowerMarket001.jpg
  • 01 MARCH 2014 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: Buddhist novice monks in a Burmese community in the forest a few kilometers north of Mae Sot. Mae Sot, on the Thai-Myanmer (Burma) border, has a very large population of Burmese migrants. Some are refugees who left Myanmar to escape civil unrest and political persecution, others are "economic refugees" who came to Thailand looking for work and better opportunities.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseMaeSot0301036.jpg
  • 10 JANUARY 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: A Buddhist novice rings a prayer gong at Wat Mangkon Kamalawat in the Chinatown section of Bangkok. It is the largest Mahayana (Chinese style) Buddhist temple in Chinatown.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BangkokScenes0111046.jpg
  • 02 JULY 2013 - ANGKOR WAT, SIEM REAP, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Buddhist novices at a small monastery near the Bayon temple in the Angkor Wat complex. The dots, which look like bruises, on the novice in the background, are from "cupping therapy." Angkor Wat is the largest temple complex in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu. It is the best-preserved temple at the site, and has remained a religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It is a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on the national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. The temple is admired for the architecture, the extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor, which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara. Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta." Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder. It is also the name of complex of temples, which includes Bayon and Preah Khan, in the vicinity. It is by far the most visited tourist attraction in Cambodia. More than half of all tourists to Cambodia visit Angkor.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AngkorWat0703044.jpg
  • 15 JUNE 2013 - YANGON, MYANMAR:  Novice monks at Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is officially known as Shwedagon Zedi Daw and is also called the Great Dagon Pagoda or the Golden Pagoda. It is a 99 meter (325 ft) tall pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of on Singuttara Hill, and dominates the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar and contains relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Burmese believe the pagoda was established as early ca 540BC, but archaeological suggests it was built between the 6th and 10th centuries. The pagoda has been renovated numerous times through the centuries. Millions of Burmese and tens of thousands of tourists visit the pagoda every year, which is the most visited site in Yangon. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ShwedagonPagoda054.jpg
  • 24 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, THAILAND:   Novice Buddhist monks on their alms rounds in Mae Sot, Thailand on Visakha Puja Day, a national holiday in Thailand. Visakha Puja (Vesak) marks three important events in the Buddha's life: his birth, his attainment of enlightenment and his death. It is celebrated on the full moon of the sixth lunar month, usually in May on the Gregorian calendar. This year it is on May 24 in Thailand and Myanmar. It is celebrated throughout the Buddhist world and is considered one of the holiest Buddhist holidays.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    VisakhaPuja001.jpg
  • 17 MAY 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   A Buddhist novice monk walks through the flower market in Bangkok on his morning alms rounds. The Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad) is the biggest wholesale and retail fresh flower market in Bangkok. It is also one of the largest fresh fruit and produce markets in the city. The market is located in the old part of the city, south of Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the Grand Palace.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BangkokScenes0517005.jpg
  • 13 APRIL 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Thai novice monks receive alms during a merit making ceremony for Songkran at the Bangkok City Hall. Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year's Festival. It is held April 13-16. Many Thais mark the holiday by going to temples and making merit by giving extra alms to monks or offering extra prayers. They also mark Songkran with joyous water fights. Songkran has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Songkran047.jpg
  • 13 APRIL 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Thai novice monks hold their overflowing alms bowls after a merit making ceremony at Bangkok City Hall for Songkran. Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year's Festival. It is held April 13-16. Many Thais mark the holiday by going to temples and making merit by giving extra alms to monks or offering extra prayers. They also mark Songkran with joyous water fights. Songkran has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Songkran045.jpg
  • 13 APRIL 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Thai novice monks receive alms during a merit making ceremony for Songkran at the Bangkok City Hall. Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year's Festival. It is held April 13-16. Many Thais mark the holiday by going to temples and making merit by giving extra alms to monks or offering extra prayers. They also mark Songkran with joyous water fights. Songkran has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Songkran046.jpg
  • 10 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A novice (student monk) operates a winch that sends Songkran offerings to the top of the chedi at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. Songkran is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and provides an excuse for people to cool off in friendly water fights that take place throughout the country. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SongkranPreparations011.jpg
  • 10 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A novice (student monk) operates a winch that sends Songkran offerings to the top of the chedi at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. Songkran is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and provides an excuse for people to cool off in friendly water fights that take place throughout the country. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SongkranPreparations012.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A Buddhist novice walks through robes hung out to dry after washing them at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Wat Chedi Luang is the most important temple in Chiang Mai and was the main temple of the Lanna Kingdom, before it was absorbed by Thailand, then Siam, in the late 18th century. Chiang Mai is the largest town in northern Thailand and is popular with tourists and backpackers.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiSunday017.jpg
  • 07 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A Buddhist novice walks through robes hung out to dry after washing them at Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Wat Chedi Luang is the most important temple in Chiang Mai and was the main temple of the Lanna Kingdom, before it was absorbed by Thailand, then Siam, in the late 18th century. Chiang Mai is the largest town in northern Thailand and is popular with tourists and backpackers.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ChiangMaiSunday015.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket005.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket003.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket002.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket001.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A toy vendor sells inflatible toys at the Wat Pa Pao Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.       PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival022.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Boys are carried prayer hall of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival016.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival012.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival010.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Musicians perform at the Poi Sang Long Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival009.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival008.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND: A boy is carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival003.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival001.jpg
  • 14 MARCH 2013 - HOUAY XAI, LAOS:  A Buddhist novice in the back of bus.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ScenesOfLaos046.jpg
  • 17 MAY 2013 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   A Buddhist novice monk walks through the flower market in Bangkok on his morning alms rounds. The Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Klong Talad) is the biggest wholesale and retail fresh flower market in Bangkok. It is also one of the largest fresh fruit and produce markets in the city. The market is located in the old part of the city, south of Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha) and the Grand Palace.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BangkokScenes0517006.jpg
  • 10 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:  A novice (student monk) operates a winch that sends Songkran offerings to the top of the chedi at Wat Phra Singh in Chiang Mai. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 16 April. Songkran is in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season and provides an excuse for people to cool off in friendly water fights that take place throughout the country. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SongkranPreparations015.jpg
  • 06 APRIL 2013 - SANPATONG, CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:   Novice monks walk through the market in Sanpatong, Chiang Mai, Thailand on their alms rounds. The buffalo market in Sanpatong (also spelled San Patong) started as a weekly gathering of farmers and traders buying and selling water buffalo, the iconic beast of burden in Southeast Asia, more than 60 years ago and has grown into one of the largest weekend markets in northern Thailand. Buffalo and cattle are still a main focus of the market, but traders also buy and sell fighting cocks, food, clothes, home brew and patent medicines.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SanpatongMarket006.jpg
  • 05 APRIL 2013 - CHIANG MAI, THAILAND:      Boys are carried through the grounds of Wat Pa Pao during the Poi Sang Long festival. The Poi Sang Long Festival at Wat Pa Pao in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is an annual festival that marks the ordination of boys in the temple as novice monks. Hundreds of people attend the festival, which is marked by the boys wearing garish makeup and being carried through the temple grounds on the shoulders of older men while musicians play drums and cymbals.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    WatPaPaoFestival014.jpg
  • 18 NOVEMBER 2017 - YANGON, MYANMAR: Buddhist novice monks wait for a donation in front of a business in Yangon. Pope Francis is visiting Myanmar, September 27-30. It will be the first visit by a Pope to the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation. He will meet with the Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders and will participate in two masses in Yangon. The Pope is expected to talk about Rohingya issue while he is in Myanmar. The Rohingya are persecuted Muslim minority in Rakhine state in western Myanmar. It's not clear how Myanmar's politically powerful nationalist monks will react if the Pope openly talks about the Rohingya. In the past, the monks have led marches and demonstrations against foreign diplomatic missions when foreign ambassadors have spoken in defense of the Rohingya. There is not much visible sign of the Pope's imminent visit in Yangon, which is estimated to be more than 90% Buddhist.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SuleBotataung015.jpg
  • 18 NOVEMBER 2017 - YANGON, MYANMAR: Buddhist novice monks wait for a donation in front of a business in Yangon. Pope Francis is visiting Myanmar, September 27-30. It will be the first visit by a Pope to the overwhelmingly Buddhist nation. He will meet with the Aung San Suu Kyi and other political leaders and will participate in two masses in Yangon. The Pope is expected to talk about Rohingya issue while he is in Myanmar. The Rohingya are persecuted Muslim minority in Rakhine state in western Myanmar. It's not clear how Myanmar's politically powerful nationalist monks will react if the Pope openly talks about the Rohingya. In the past, the monks have led marches and demonstrations against foreign diplomatic missions when foreign ambassadors have spoken in defense of the Rohingya. There is not much visible sign of the Pope's imminent visit in Yangon, which is estimated to be more than 90% Buddhist.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SuleBotataung014.jpg
  • 31 OCTOBER 2015 - YANGON, MYANMAR: A boy being ordained as a Buddhist novice (young monk) with some of his family at Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is officially known as Shwedagon Zedi Daw and is also called the Great Dagon Pagoda or the Golden Pagoda. It is a 99 metres (325 ft) tall pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of on Singuttara Hill, and dominates the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar and contains relics of four past Buddhas: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. The pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries by the Mon people, who used to dominate the area around what is now Yangon (Rangoon). The pagoda has been renovated numerous times through the centuries. Millions of Burmese and tens of thousands of tourists visit the pagoda every year, which is the most visited site in Yangon.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ShwedagonPagoda1031002.jpg
  • 31 OCTOBER 2015 - YANGON, MYANMAR: A boy being ordained as a Buddhist novice (young monk) with some of his family at Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is officially known as Shwedagon Zedi Daw and is also called the Great Dagon Pagoda or the Golden Pagoda. It is a 99 metres (325 ft) tall pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of on Singuttara Hill, and dominates the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar and contains relics of four past Buddhas: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. The pagoda was built between the 6th and 10th centuries by the Mon people, who used to dominate the area around what is now Yangon (Rangoon). The pagoda has been renovated numerous times through the centuries. Millions of Burmese and tens of thousands of tourists visit the pagoda every year, which is the most visited site in Yangon.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ShwedagonPagoda1031001.jpg
  • 03 NOVEMBER 2014 - YANGON, MYANMAR:  Burmese Buddhist novices eat breakfast at a street food stand in Yangon. Most young males in Myanmar (Burma) go into the monastery and become monks, some for only a few months, others for longer periods.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Features1103002.jpg
  • 26 APRIL 2014 - TACHILEIK, SHAN STATE, MYANMAR: Buddhist monks and novices go out on their alms gathering rounds in Tachileik, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). Most Burmese males become monks for at least a short period in their lives, sometimes more often than once. There are more than 500,000 monks and novices in Burma.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Tachileik0426008.jpg
  • 26 APRIL 2014 - TACHILEIK, SHAN STATE, MYANMAR: Buddhist monks and novices go out on their alms gathering rounds in Tachileik, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). Most Burmese males become monks for at least a short period in their lives, sometimes more often than once. There are more than 500,000 monks and novices in Burma.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Tachileik0426007.jpg
  • 26 APRIL 2014 - TACHILEIK, SHAN STATE, MYANMAR: Buddhist monks and novices go out on their alms gathering rounds in Tachileik, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). Most Burmese males become monks for at least a short period in their lives, sometimes more often than once. There are more than 500,000 monks and novices in Burma.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Tachileik0426005.jpg
  • 26 APRIL 2014 - TACHILEIK, SHAN STATE, MYANMAR: Buddhist monks and novices go out on their alms gathering rounds in Tachileik, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). Most Burmese males become monks for at least a short period in their lives, sometimes more often than once. There are more than 500,000 monks and novices in Burma.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Tachileik0426006.jpg
  • 26 APRIL 2014 - TACHILEIK, SHAN STATE, MYANMAR: Buddhist monks and novices go out on their alms gathering rounds in Tachileik, Shan State, Myanmar (Burma). Most Burmese males become monks for at least a short period in their lives, sometimes more often than once. There are more than 500,000 monks and novices in Burma.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    Tachileik0426004.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   People make merit by presenting food to Buddhist monks and novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking029.jpg
  • 27 FEBRUARY 2015 - PONHEA LEU, KANDAL, CAMBODIA: Buddhist novices, boys who enter the monastery during their school break, go out on the morning alms round in Kandal province, Cambodia.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    KandalRiceHarvest007.jpg
  • 15 JUNE 2013 - YANGON, MYANMAR:  Buddhist novices pray at Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon Pagoda is officially known as Shwedagon Zedi Daw and is also called the Great Dagon Pagoda or the Golden Pagoda. It is a 99 meter (325 ft) tall pagoda and stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of on Singuttara Hill, and dominates the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar and contains relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined: the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Koṇāgamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight strands of hair from Gautama, the historical Buddha. Burmese believe the pagoda was established as early ca 540BC, but archaeological suggests it was built between the 6th and 10th centuries. The pagoda has been renovated numerous times through the centuries. Millions of Burmese and tens of thousands of tourists visit the pagoda every year, which is the most visited site in Yangon. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    ShwedagonPagoda037.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese woman passes a Burmese monk leading novices through the forest during their morning alms rounds through an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees028.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese monk leads novices through the forest during their morning alms rounds through an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees025.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   People make merit by presenting food to Buddhist monks and novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking037.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Buddhist novices walk to the beginning of the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking034.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   People make merit by presenting food to Buddhist monks and novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking030.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   People make merit by presenting food to Buddhist monks and novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking028.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Buddhist novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking026.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Buddhist novices at the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking022.jpg
  • 01 JANUARY 2019 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:   Buddhist novices walk to the beginning of the New Year's merit making ceremony on the plaza in front of City Hall in Bangkok. City Hall traditionally hosts one of the largest New Year merit making ceremonies in Thailand. This year about 160 monks participated in the event.      PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    CityHallMeritMaking021.jpg
  • 07 FEBRUARY 2016 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Mahayana novices (young monks) at Wat Mangon Kamlawat, perform a religious ceremony for Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year, also called Lunar New Year or Tet (in Vietnamese communities) starts Monday February 8. The coming year will be the "Year of the Monkey." Thailand has the largest overseas Chinese population in the world; about 14 percent of Thais are of Chinese ancestry and some Chinese holidays, especially Chinese New Year, are widely celebrated in Thailand.        PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    LunarNewYearsEve047.jpg
  • 12 OCTOBER 2015 - BANGKOK, THAILAND:  Mahayana Buddhist novices walk across the temple grounds at Wat Mangkon Kamlawat, a large Chinese temple in Bangkok, on the first day of the Vegetarian Festival in Bangkok's Chinatown. The Vegetarian Festival is celebrated throughout Thailand. It is the Thai version of the The Nine Emperor Gods Festival, a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During a period of nine days, those who are participating in the festival dress all in white and abstain from eating meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy products. Vendors and proprietors of restaurants indicate that vegetarian food is for sale by putting a yellow flag out with Thai characters for meatless written on it in red.     PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    2015VegetarianFestival001.jpg
  • 27 FEBRUARY 2015 - PONHEA LEU, KANDAL, CAMBODIA: Buddhist novices, boys who enter the monastery during their school break, go out on the morning alms round in Kandal province, Cambodia.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    KandalRiceHarvest010.jpg
  • 27 FEBRUARY 2015 - PONHEA LEU, KANDAL, CAMBODIA: Buddhist novices, boys who enter the monastery during their school break, go out on the morning alms round in Kandal province, Cambodia.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    KandalRiceHarvest009.jpg
  • 10 NOVEMBER 2014 - SITTWE, MYANMAR: Buddhist novices (young monks) in Sittwe, Myanmar. Most Burmese males enter the Sangha (Buddhist monkhood) for at least a short period of their lives. Sittwe is a small town in the Myanmar state of Rakhine, on the Bay of Bengal.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    SittweFeatures086.jpg
  • 02 JULY 2013 - ANGKOR WAT, SIEM REAP, SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA:  Buddhist novices at a small monastery near the Bayon temple in the Angkor Wat complex. Angkor Wat is the largest temple complex in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu. It is the best-preserved temple at the site, and has remained a religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It is a symbol of Cambodia, appearing on the national flag, and it is the country's prime attraction for visitors. The temple is admired for the architecture, the extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls. The modern name, Angkor Wat, means "Temple City" or "City of Temples" in Khmer; Angkor, meaning "city" or "capital city", is a vernacular form of the word nokor, which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara. Wat is the Khmer word for "temple grounds", derived from the Pali word "vatta." Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok, after the posthumous title of its founder. It is also the name of complex of temples, which includes Bayon and Preah Khan, in the vicinity. It is by far the most visited tourist attraction in Cambodia. More than half of all tourists to Cambodia visit Angkor.         PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    AngkorWat0703033.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese woman gives food to Burmese novices on their morning alms rounds in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees047.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: A Burmese boy rings a prayer gong announcing the arrival of a Burmese monk and novices in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees044.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: A Roman Catholic Burmese woman of Indian ancestry gives food to Burmese Buddhist novices in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees042.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese children wait to give food to a group of Burmese monks and novices in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees034.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND: Burmese children give food to a group of Burmese monks and novices in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees033.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:       A Burmese man gives food to Burmese novices on their morning alms rounds in an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees027.jpg
  • 25 MAY 2013 - MAE SOT, TAK, THAILAND:  A Burmese monk leads novices through the forest during their morning alms rounds through an unofficial village of Burmese refugees north of Mae Sot, Thailand. They live on a narrow strip of land about 200 meters deep and 400 meters long that juts into Thailand. The land is technically Burma but it is on the Thai side of the Moei River, which marks most of the border in this part of Thailand. The refugees, a mix of Buddhists and Christians, settled on the land years ago to avoid strife in Myanmar (Burma). For all practical purposes they live in Thailand. They shop in Thai markets and see their produce to Thai buyers. About 200 people live in thatched huts spread throughout the community. They're close enough to Mae Sot that some can work in town and Burmese merchants from Mae Sot come out to their village to do business with them.   PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
    BurmeseRefugees024.jpg
Next
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Jack Kurtz, Photojournalist & Travel Photographer

  • Published Work
  • Photographs
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Jack on Instagram
  • About
  • Contact
  • My Occasional Blog
  • Portfolios on Behance
  • Portfolio