Thousands of Buddhists sailed in decorated boats in a religious procession heading to a temple in Thailand.

Residents in the fishing villages celebrate the Buddhist figure, Father Pan, in Samut Prakan province on October 20.

Father Pan is believed to have turned into a holy spirit and watched over the fishermen and their villages, giving them prosperous catches and protecting them from storms. Local fishermen usually pray to the figure to ask for guidance before sailing out in the ocean.

Boats carried people around the estuary before they went to the local temple to pray and give offerings.

The crowd wore their colourful dresses for the celebration while holding beautiful trays of traditional flowers.

The event went smoothly except for two passengers who slipped off the ship but were immediately saved by the crew.

The parade reached the temple after thrice sailing around the bays. Monks performed a Buddhist ceremony in the afternoon which was attended by more locals.