Hundreds of thousands of people in Bangkok, Thailand on Tuesday celebrated Makha Bucha Festival, one of the most important Buddhist festivals. /VCG Photo

About 1250 monks gathered at Dhammakaya Temple and were ordained by the Buddha, with hundreds of thousands of devotees holding lanterns to commemorate the special occasion. /VCG Photo

The festival is celebrated yearly on the first day of the full moon day of the third lunar month. "Makha" means the third lunar month on the Buddhist lunar calendar, while "bucha" means "honor". Therefore "Makha Bucha" is seen as a day for honoring the third lunar month, and the Buddha and the teachings that he delivers. /VCG Photo

Makha Bucha Day is a public holiday in Thailand, when Buddhists go to temples to attend religious ceremonies, to meditate and to listen to teachings. /VCG Photo

The festival is believed to originate 45 years before the start of the Buddhist era and is also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. /VCG Photo