LOY KRATHONG is a Siamese festival celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and in nearby countries with significant southwestern Thai cultures. The name could be translated as “to float ritual vessel or lamp,” and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the Hindu Goddess Ganga (river in Northern India), Phra Mae Khongkha . This festival can see the traces of its origin back to India.
Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November.
In Thailand, the festival is known as Loi Krathong. Outside Thailand, this festival is celebrated under different names, including Myanmar as the “Tazaungdaing festival”, Sri Lanka as “Il Full Moon Poya”, and China as “Lantern Festival”.
A krathong is traditionally a small floating container fashioned of leaves which is made to hold a small portion of goods like a traditional Thai dish (such as hor mok) or dessert. The traditional krathong used for floating at the festival are made from a slice of a banana tree trunk or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or Styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish.
This festival is celebrated for a handful of reasons. For one, this time of the year marks the end of the rainy season, which is always a cause for celebration. Gone are the days or relentless downpour and frantic Thais and foreigners alike trying to escape the heavy showers, at least until monsoon season begins again in July.
It is believed that Loy Krathong, or ‘the festival of light,’ originated in the ancient city of Sukhothai, located about five hours north of Bangkok. It is not necessarily a religious holiday, but you will see many Thais praying to the water goddess, Mae Khongkha, as they send their decorated ‘boats’ down the river. Many Thais will give thanks to the water goddess for the fortune of having water while others will ask for forgiveness for using too much or contaminating it.
Each candle has a prayer, memory, or wish attached to it as it makes it way down whatever body of water it finds itself on. That is the basic idea of the entire festival: it is a new beginning of sorts.
