Loy Krathong
17 november
post by scott
Confusingly, this similar but distinct festival takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar (as opposed to Lanna). This one is about floating Krathongs (see picture) on the water and is celebrated all throughout Thailand but in Chiang Mai due to the temporal proximity to Yi Peng the two festivals are pretty much celebrated in conjunction now. It is bloody confusing and we had to consult wikipaedia a few times to sort it out.
Loy Krathong (wiki): “The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's floating symbolizes letting go of all one's hatred, anger, and defilements. People sometime cut their fingernails or hair and placed the clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of negative thoughts. However, many ordinary Thai use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongha”
Loy Krathong (wiki): “The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's floating symbolizes letting go of all one's hatred, anger, and defilements. People sometime cut their fingernails or hair and placed the clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of negative thoughts. However, many ordinary Thai use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongha”
It was now Sunday night and the town was well and truly in party mode. We had moved to a new hotel right near the eastern gate of the old town and when I walked downstairs at about 6pm I was greeted by a firebreather warming up for the street parade! Allana and Dad had gone out shopping and we had organised to meet at the gate, which also happened to be the start of the parade and where everyone in town was gathering!! There were dancers, drum bands, a Singha (mythical lion), tired-of-smiling beauty queens, and some cute kids dressed up in traditional outfits. We somehow managed to find each other and watched the parade go by towards the river, after which the crowd followed. There are 3 bridges across the Ping river in close proximity which were the focal points for Loy Krathong. People were packed shoulder to shoulder like sardines but the vibe was still really friendly and safe. The bridges and river banks were also the favourite spots to launch fireworks from and every now and then you would be deafened by one going off right next to your head!
Down by the river bank were the more industrious people, making and selling all manner of Krathongs – primarily from a base of banana trunk with banana leaves or coloured bread as decoration and topped with a candle and incence. There were also the usual food vendors everywhere and Allana picked up a delicious dinner of quail eggs! They were so tiny and cute but pretty bloody nice nevertheless. We perused the Krathongs, decided on one each and went down to the muddy bank to launch them. Unfortunately the current of the river combined with the wake of passing boats meant that most of those released were washed back onto the bank almost immediately, where a slew of soggy bread and leaves had accumulated. Fortunately when we lit our candles and released our hatred and negative thoughts onto the river there was a young entrepreneur wading around in the mud to push the little boats out into the middle of the river.
We sat by the river for at least an hour just watching the spectacle unfold. The sky was still filled with lanterns and fireworks, while there was a constant procession of people coming down to release their banana boats. Local families, teenagers, chinese tourists, western tourists – everyone was down at the river. Dad made the comment that it was like a warzone, because there were constant streams of fireworks crossing paths over the river.