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Waisak Lanterns and Imlek Streets: Celebration Photos With AI

Waisak Lanterns and Imlek Streets: Celebration Photos With AI

Two of Indonesia's most visually striking celebrations share one thing: lantern light. Trendy AI Lab puts you inside both, from a single photo.

Waisak

  • Borobudur lanterns. Hundreds of warm paper lanterns beneath the silhouette of a great stepped stone temple, with one lantern in your hands.
  • Dawn procession. Monks and worshippers carrying flowers along a temple path, mist between the trees and low golden light.

Imlek and Cap Go Meh

  • Chinatown lantern street. Old shophouses strung end to end with red lanterns, blossom displays and families out celebrating.
  • Barongsai lion dance. A golden lion caught mid-leap right behind you, with drums and a cheering crowd.
  • Cap Go Meh parade. A long illuminated dragon weaving above the street on the fifteenth night.
  • Klenteng blessing. A quiet moment lighting an incense stick, red lanterns and incense haze overhead.

Respectful framing

At the temple you are a lay visitor paying your respects, never rendered as a monk, a priest or a temple keeper, and never merged with a Buddha image. At the lion dance you stay a spectator in the foreground: the Barongsai is a costume worn by a troupe, and stepping inside one would hide the face the whole photo depends on.

What are the key facts about Waisak and Imlek?

  • Vesak, called Waisak in Indonesia, marks the Buddha's birth, Enlightenment and final passing, on the full moon of the month of Vesakha, usually in May or early June. (BBC)
  • Waisak is a national holiday in Indonesia, and its ceremony walks from Mendut temple to Pawon and ends at Borobudur. (Wikipedia)
  • Public barongsai performances were permitted again in Indonesia in 2000, and Imlek has been a national holiday since 2003. (Wikipedia)

How do I make a Waisak or Imlek photo?

  1. Open the Waisak & Imlek collection.
  2. Pick the lanterns or the street, the outfit and your greeting, "Selamat Hari Waisak" or "Gong Xi Fa Cai" by default.
  3. Upload a selfie and generate.

How do I get the best Waisak or Imlek photo?

These are night scenes, so a clearly lit, front-facing photo matters more than usual, it gives the AI the detail it needs to relight your face with lantern glow.

Ready to try it? Download Trendy AI Lab and make your first Waisak or Imlek photo with a plan, or copy the prompt free.

Supal Savaliya · Founder, Trendy AI Lab

Supal Savaliya founded Trendy AI Lab and built the app's style catalog. They test every style on real photos before it ships, and base these guides on what actually works rather than on the marketing copy. Last reviewed . Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.

Try these Waisak & Imlek Celebrations styles

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Borobudur Waisak Lanterns: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Night falls on the stone terraces of a great Buddhist temple during Waisak, and I, from the attached photo, stand there wearing [outfit, for example simple white ceremonial clothing with a plain sash], with [lanterns, for example hundreds of warm paper lanterns lit and held across the terraces] and the temple's bell-shaped stupas dark against the sky. Keep my face unchanged, peaceful. Soft warm glow on my face, deep blue night, a still, reverent mood. Add [greeting, for example Selamat Hari Waisak]. Vertical 9:16.

Borobudur Waisak LanternsWaisak & Imlek Celebrations
Waisak Dawn Procession: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Sunrise procession: me, from the attached photo, carrying flowers and a small offering in a Waisak procession, wearing [outfit, for example simple white ceremonial clothing with a plain sash], at [temple, for example the great stepped stone terraces of a Javanese Buddhist temple]. Keep my face as in the photo, calm. Light streaming through tall trees, mist on the stone, soft gold and green, other walkers blurred behind. Respectful, quiet mood. Vertical 9:16.

Waisak Dawn ProcessionWaisak & Imlek Celebrations
Imlek Chinatown Lanterns: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Make a Lunar New Year photo of me, from the attached photo, standing in [street, for example a Chinatown lane of old shophouses strung end to end with red lanterns], wearing [outfit, for example elegant red-and-gold Lunar New Year attire that suits them]. Keep my face unchanged and smiling. Evening glow, warm gold light on red, shallow depth of field, a faint mist. Add the greeting [greeting, for example Gong Xi Fa Cai], spelled exactly. Vertical 9:16.

Imlek Chinatown LanternsWaisak & Imlek Celebrations
Barongsai Lion Dance: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Lunar New Year street scene with me, from the attached photo, wearing [outfit, for example a smart modern outfit in festive red with gold accents], beside a [Barongsai, for example golden Barongsai lion caught mid-leap with its mane flying], drums booming and the crowd cheering behind. Keep my face unchanged, thrilled. Strong daylight, flying confetti, motion blur on the lion's mane. Add [greeting, for example Gong Xi Fa Cai]. Vertical 9:16.

Barongsai Lion DanceWaisak & Imlek Celebrations
Cap Go Meh Parade: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Create a night photo of me, from the attached photo, at a Cap Go Meh parade in [outfit, for example elegant red-and-gold Lunar New Year attire that suits them], with [parade, for example a long illuminated dragon weaving above the crowd] filling the street behind me. Keep my face exactly as in the photo, with a mood that is [mood, for example dramatic and cinematic, deep shadow and highlight]. Glowing reds and golds, lantern light on my face. Vertical 9:16.

Cap Go Meh ParadeWaisak & Imlek Celebrations
Klenteng Lantern Blessing: AI Waisak & Imlek Celebrations photo effect

Quietly, me from the attached photo, holding burning incense in both hands at [temple, for example a historic klenteng courtyard with upturned tiled roofs], red lanterns glowing overhead, wearing [outfit, for example red-and-gold Peranakan festive attire that suits them]. Keep my face unchanged, calm and sincere. Soft smoke curling in warm light, carved red pillars, gold lettering on plaques, shallow depth of field, a respectful mood. Vertical 9:16.

Klenteng Lantern BlessingWaisak & Imlek Celebrations

Make your own AI photo

Copy a free prompt from any style, or make the image with your own face in the Trendy AI Lab app.

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