Loi Krathong: Thailand’s Enchanting Festival of Floating Lanterns
While the full moon in November shines brightly, hundreds of thousands of krathongs, which are traditional floating lanterns decorated with banana leaves, are set adrift along rivers and streams in Thailand. This is part of the Floating Lantern Festival, which is one of the country’s oldest and most well-kept traditions.
A Night of Reverence and Beauty: The 2023 Festival Celebrations
The festival will happen on November 27, 2023, alongside the Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai. In honor of the holiday, people gather at the country’s most famous river spots to offer the krathong, a small boat with candles, flowers, and incense on it, as a gift to Khongkha, the Mother of the Waters, to thank her for her kindness and ask for forgiveness for man’s carelessness and pollution of the waters, which are the source of life for individuals.
Traditions Evolving Through Time: The History of Loi Krathong
Today’s Loi Krathong practice grew out of the royal ceremonies that happened in the early Rattanakosin period, when different kinds of lanterns floated between the Chao Phraya River and its branches. Common people later took up and changed this tradition.
In the towns where krathongs are made, people live a simple life that is reflected in the materials used to make them. According to Buddhist mythology, they generally look like the lotus flower, the swan, the pagoda, and Mount Meru. Regardless, Krathongs that look like lotus flowers are the most popular.
Unraveling the Origins of Loi Krathong’s Mystic Appeal
Why is Loi Krathong so interesting? Floating lanterns are also used in Deepavalee ceremonies to show respect for the Indian gods Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu, or to show respect for the Indian Ganga, also known as Ganges. The ceremony to honor the sacred footprint of Buddha on the banks of the mythical Nammadhammahantee river may have been influenced by old Buddhist stories.
Loi Krathong has changed over time from the river culture that shaped traditional Thai life to a ceremony where gifts are given to Mae Khongkha, the Mother of Waters (Thai for the Hindu Goddess of Waters), as thanks for giving life-giving water.
So many people think that letting the krathong float away will protect them from pain, suffering, and bad luck that some strange stories say the most superstitious people put hair or pierced nails inside the krathong to break a spell or get rid of bad luck. In addition, coins are put in the krathong as a gift.
Loi Krathong: A Symbol of Love and Good Fortune
Loi Krathong is a great way for young, romantic couples to say exactly what they want: to be happy together and have a good relationship. People put candles and incense sticks inside the krathong and fill it with fresh flowers when the full moon rises at dusk. Moving downstream, the current takes the lanterns, and the wind makes the candles flicker.
That’s why fireworks are an important part of religious and traditional ceremonies: they represent love, just like lighting the candles. Evening celebrations also include folklore shows, plays, music, and dance. The settings in old Thai stories are still very popular today.
This festival’s rituals and customs show how the local religion and culture have changed over time. Wherever you are, you can see interesting takes on the theme. Coconut shells are tied together and thrown at the same time in Tak province instead of banana leaves to make lanterns that look like long chains of hundreds of twinkling lights on the Ping River. Although they are no longer part of the Lanna Thai Kingdom, the northern areas of Thailand still celebrate the Yi-peng Lantern Festival. Offerings to Buddha are made by lighting and launching round lanterns into the sky that look like blown-up balloons.
