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Festivals and Parties  » The Loy Krathong Festival - lighting up the Chao Phraya

The Loy Krathong Festival - lighting up the Chao Phraya

The Loy Krathong Festival is one of the most colorful Thai

festivals celebrated nationwide. Processions of beautiful girls

dressed in traditional costumes carry floral floats that are

floated on rivers and lakes. Each province has its special

features in celebrating this annual Festival of Lights.

In Bangkok the highlight of the Loy Krathong Festival was a

procession of boats from the Royal Thai Navy decorated with

various designs and lights presented by various organizations

held nightly from 13 - 16 November 2005.

It was a spectacular floating kaleidoscope flickering in the

night along the Chao Phraya River from the Taksin Bridge to King

Rama VIII Bridge against a backdrop of historical monuments

lighted up for the occasion.

The Loy Krathong tradition

What's the significance of this festival beyond the color and

pageantry?

The Loy Krathong Festival is a 13th century Sukhothai tradition

of Brahmin origin, adapted to Buddhism, to give thanks to the

Goddess of water and to seek forgiveness for past misdeeds.

This tradition is particularly strong in agricultural societies

where the river gives life and sustenance in a close bond

between Man and Nature. To the millions of farmers dependant on

its source of water, the Chao Phraya is the river of life.

Held on the 15th night of the new moon in the twelve-month of

the Thai calendar, the Loy Krathong Festival usually falls in

the third or fourth week of November.

The Loy Krathong ritual

In the ritual, the person kneels by the water, says a prayer,

makes a wish, asks for forgiveness and floats (loy) off the

lighted krathong. Courting couples float off a krathong together

under the full moon and watch as the krathong drifts towards the

fulfillment of their dreams.

Making the krathong

Made entirely from natural material, traditional krathongs

consist of a small slice of banana trunk to serve as the float,

which is decorated with banana leaves, multi-colored orchids,

lotus and bright yellow marigolds, a candle and three joss

sticks.

In the old days, sharpened wooden slivers are used to pin the

leaves. Nails and staples have replaced these today. It's

customary to leave some coins and a strain of your hair in the

krathong to bring in good fortune and carry away the bad.

Merrymaking on Loy Krathong night

Locally the Loy Krathong Festival is celebrated at various

locations near the Chao Phraya River, which are buzzing with

activity, heightening as one reaches the riverbanks.

Roads to the piers are filled with vendors and buskers as crowds

patiently inch their way to the banks packed with people of all

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ages. Many queue for boats to float their krathongs mid-stream.

The celebration goes on for the whole night with more people

arriving in the early hours.

Protecting the environment

Cleaning up the rivers and canals after the festival is a

formidable task. On 17 November 2005, the morning after, it took

4,000 cleaners to retrieve 1.2 million krathongs in Bangkok

alone!

The City administration discourages the use of Styrofoam, as

these are non-biodegradable. The more enterprising have baked

bread in the shape of krathongs that are consumed by fishe

Towards a better tomorrow

As fireworks burst overhead lighting the dark Bangkok skies,

another Loy Krathong Festival comes to an end. Meanwhile the

krathongs drift along the Chao Phraya carrying with them the

hopes of thousands wishing for a better tomorrow.

If you're in Bangkok during the next Loy Krathong Festival,

view the festivities at any of the Chao

Phraya river piers. For a panoramic view, stay at one of the

riverside hotels or take a river cruise by night.

About the author:

Experience the color and vibrancy of the L

oy Krathong Festival next November when you Tour

Bangkok Legacies. The author, Eric Lim, is a free-lance

writer who lives in Bangkok Thailand.