Also known as the Festival of Light, Thailand celebrates Loy Krathong annually on the night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. The full moon occurs tonight, but festivities have been going on in many Thai provinces all weekend. Although it isn’t a public holiday, Loy Krathong is one of Thailand’s most anticipated festivals.
The word ‘loy‘ means to float and ‘krathong‘ is the name given to small rafts or baskets. Traditionally made from natural resources such as banana leaves or the bark of a tree, modern-day krathongs are also made from less eco-friendly material such as polystyrene. Candles, coins and incense are placed inside the krathong, the candle and incense are lit and the krathong is placed on the nearest body of water. The belief is that the krathongs will carry away bad luck. It is also believed that the tradition pays homage to the water goddess, Mae Kongkha (Mother of Waters) and the krathongs are offerings to her at the end of the rainy season.
The sight of thousands of krathongs gently bobbing up and down in the water is both beautiful and romantic. Added to this, fireworks and firecrackers are also set off. Some provinces have regional variations of the festival. One of the most spectacular is in Chiang Mai where the festival is known as Yi Peng with thousands of Lanna-style fire lanterns released into the night sky (pictured right).
