Loi Krathong

Loi Krathong 2010 in Chiang Mai

Loi Krathong (also: Loy Krathong , Thai ลอยกระทง ) is the festival of lights that is celebrated nationwide in Thailand on the day of the full moon in the twelfth month of the traditional Thai lunisolar calendar . It usually falls in November.

Course and meaning

Loi means to swim or to float, and Krathong is a small raft that is typically made from part of the stalk of the banana tree. Lately there are also rafts made of expanded polystyrene and those made of bread dough, which dissolve after a certain time in an environmentally friendly way and also provide food for the fish. The so designed raft is decorated with the banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense sticks . State or municipal offices, companies, schools, universities and other organizations often build larger and technically very elaborate krathongs , which are often examined and evaluated in beauty pageants.

The festival probably originates from India when a Hindu festival is celebrated as thanksgiving to the deity of the Ganges with floating lanterns , which are said to have a life-giving effect all year round. The floating rafts have the meaning of letting go of all anger, resentment and all impurities of the soul so that life can be started again from a better vantage point. The Thais set out with relatives or a larger group of friends, in the sense of a folk festival there is plenty of food and drink on the streets. Watering the rafts is also particularly popular with young couples, who also underline their togetherness.

The tradition of Loi Krathong began in Sukhothai and is now celebrated across the country, with the festivities in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya being particularly well known. In Chiang Mai, the festival is also called Yi Peng (Thai: ประเพณี ยี่ เป็ ง ) according to the Lanna tradition , then hundreds of small hot air balloons ( Khom Fai - โคม ไฟ or Khom Loi - โคมลอย , literally translated as "floating torches") are left in the night sky rise. There are also parades through the cities, a kind of nocturnal counterpart to those of Songkran . Fireworks were also launched earlier in the evening of Loi Krathong in Bangkok, but this has been banned since 2005. The festival is not only celebrated in Thailand, but also in neighboring countries such as Laos and Myanmar.

Krathongs for sale
Loi Krathong 2007 in Lumpini Park, Bangkok
Loi Krathong 2007 in Lumpini Park, Bangkok
“Floating torches” at Loi Krathong / Yi Peng 2008 in Mae Cho, Chiang Mai Province