Adventures in Thailand: Loi Krathong

Hello all,

Loi Krathong is a festival that takes place on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month of the Thai calendar. This year it took place on November 17, 2013. The Krathongs are made out of banana trunks and lotus flowers. The bright light from the full moon makes the river clear for floating the Krathongs. There are many purposes for the festival but the main one that I hear about is to ask forgiveness Pra Mae Khongkha and also ask for good fortune. Also many Thai's release the Krathongs as a symbol of letting go all grudges, anger and negative thoughts.

As I was walking to catch the songthaew to go to the mall last Saturday, I saw this guy with a chainsaw cutting up this huge, long tree stump. I thought that it was a bamboo tree but then my friend told me that bamboo trees are hollow. So, I asked one of the merchants at the stand what kind of tree it was, that was an epic fail. I continued on my journey home and I saw my friend Anna and she was buying some of these cylindrical pieces so I asked her what they were. She told me that they were banana trees, problem solved. Then she said "Loi Kratong" in her loud boisterous Thai accent. So, I later learned that the base of the Krathongs are banana stumps. They then take these Krathongs and wrap them with banana leaves and flowers for decoration. A candle and incense is placed in the middle of the Krathong and you light it before you release your Krathong into the river. The purpose of the candle and incense is for honor and praise to the original Buddha.

Yi Peng, another Thai festival also coincides with Loi Krathong and in Chiang Mai they have a big lantern festival on the same day. Here in Rayong at the sea, they had lanterns but we did not participate. We were able to see some of the lanterns floating in the sky though.

I have some pictures from the bare banana stumps to an actual finished product of a Krathong. They are really beautiful and I wish that my crafty self could have made one. All in all, I really enjoyed the festival and learned something new in the process. I did say a prayer as my Krathong floated away.

Always learning,

Charmel