Loi Krathong

What a celebration last night! Unlike anything I've ever seen. Loi Krathong took place yesterday and Thailand was rockin! For those who don't know, Loi Krathong is on the evening of the full moon on the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar (Usually in Late November). Originally the event was a Brahman festival to worship the Gods, but when the Thai people adopted Buddhism, they adapted the ceremony to honor the Buddhas. The floating of the Krathongs down the river is meant to worship the footprint of Buddha. 'Loi' means to float and 'Krathong' refers to the lotus shaped containers which float on the water.

Parade in the Rain :(

Gorgeous Banana Leaf float

What a beautiful tradition it is! We were contemplating traveling to Chiang Mai just for it because they're known to go all-out for the celebrations. In fact, we were just in Chiang Mai last weekend and all guesthouses were booked already for the festival! Unfortunately this year, Loi Krathong fell mid-week on a Wednesday so we stayed in Chiang Rai. You see, we had heard that Chiang Rai was mellow, laid back yet uniquely beautiful & serene during the festival.

All Dolled-Up!

First, there was a parade & we just had to check that out. Walking down the main street were beautiful, intricate floats and processions of musicians, flower ladies, traditional dancers & kids dressed to the max. Unfortunately, it started to rain, and then pour. I felt bad for everyone who spent so much time looking beautiful, only to get soaked.

Jody and I with our Krathong

After a lovely dinner on the river, we got to choose our Krathong. They were each beautifully decorated with biodegradable banana stalk weaving. Ours contained a few roses and other flowers. Each Krathong has a candle and some incense that you burn before letting it go into the river. The floating symbolizes letting go of one's hatred, anger and defilement's. As a symbol of letting go of these negative thoughts, we each placed a coin, a piece of our hair and a nail clipping in the small watercraft. We then each made a wish & pushed our Krathong out into the water, watching it bob and weave down the slow current, inevitably joining thousands of other Krathongs on a similar journey. It was very beautiful both to see and what it meant to us. Definitely a special moment for Jody and I to share together.

Making Wishes!

I think Loi Krathong is known more for it's floating lanterns, yet I just learned that this represents a completely different tradition. The Lanna festival known as Yi Peng just happens to coincide with Loi Krathong every year during the full moon of the 2nd month of the Lanna calender.  It is because of this Lanna tradition that lanterns are launched into the sky, resembling fluorescent jellyfish floating up to the heavens. It's celebrated mostly in the Northern and Northeastern part of the country. As I mentioned, the most elaborate celebrations are held in Chiang Mai (the ancient capital of the Lanna kingdom), but Chiang Rai does it big too!

We went down to the bridge over the river where all the commotion was happening & proceeded to buy our lanterns - 25 Baht Each. (about $1) All around us, people were setting off all shapes & sizes of fireworks, shooting flare guns, sending up lanterns, and sending off Krathongs! It was like we were in a war zone! Seriously, huge firecrackers going off right next to us. The combination of alcohol & dangerous fireworks must cause many serious injuries every year. Scary!

I'm not lying about a war-zone! (Notice the paramedics in the background)

We didn't exactly know how to send the lanterns off (there are some tricks BTW) but after some instruction we figured it out. We each held ours over the fuel cell and once it was lit, the resulting hot air got trapped within the paper. Eventually, with some the help of some local techniques, there was enough trapped air to lift the lantern into the sky. It was so beautiful to see our lanterns float up and away joining hundreds of others with the full moon in the background. We had to get another one and let it off together since we were now experts.


Loi Krathong in Thailand is just such a unique experience. Something I will never forget.