Those visiting Thailand in November might get the chance to take part in Loy Krathong, a festival where folks float a small candlelit raft as an offering to the water goddess on the evening of a full moon.
Traditionally, the floats were made of bits of banana tree and intricately folded leaves, and they might also include offerings for the water goddess like money or small, cutesy items. The offerings are to “float away” unhappiness, sadness, and poor health.
The traditional festivals are thought of as a prime time for love in Thailand, with some Thais likening it to “Thai Valentine’s Day.” Couples make it a point to go out and float their krathong together.
This year the festival will happen on the evening of Nov. 22 in Bangkok, but some cities celebrate the occasion for several days, and outside the city, the festival may look very different.
Urban Celebrations in Bangkok
Chances are, visitors are most likely to experience what most Bangkokians do: Going out to the Chao Phraya River, or one of the small ponds in a city park, and trying — amidst hundreds of others — to float a pre-made or mass produced krathong with styrofoam, bright colors, incense, and a candle. Though Bangkok can do flashy as well as any international city, with riverside malls like Asiatique setting up stages where celebrities perform for the evening, it’s likely that urban couples will just meet up quickly on their way home from work to light a candle.
Tak’s Coconut Krathongs
The Western province of Tak, located near the Myanmar border and near Chiang Mai, is famous for krathongs made of a sustainable and organic material — coconut shells. It makes sense when you think about it: They float, they’re readily available, and they don’t need to be cleaned up the next day like the plastic and foam ones that end up clogging rivers and ponds in Bangkok following the festival.
Not only does rural, pretty Tak make their floats out of coconuts, they also have the unique tradition of tying the floats together into a long floating thread of candlelit shells, called loy krathong sai.
Tak will celebrate this year from Nov. 18-22
Sukhothai’s Ancient Market and Beauty Contest
The ancient Thai capital of Sukhothai goes all out for Loy Krathong, celebrating for nine full days, from Nov. 16-25, at the city’s famous historical park. In addition to floating krathongs, the city erects a historically accurate Sukhothai Period market that includes playing old fashioned sports, sword and staff fighting, the sale of old world foods, as well as all kinds of keepsakes — think of it as Thailand’s answer to a Renaissance Fair. Of course, vintage Thai dress is welcome and, if you pull the look off well enough, you might get recruited into the Nang Nopphamat Beauty Contest, which names the prettiest lady of the festival.
Keeping it old-school in Samut Songkhram
Samut Songkhram, on the Southwest Gulf of Thailand, also abuts the Mae Klong River, and their celebration centers around the historical aspects of life along that river.
Stories about old beliefs regarding the river will be shared, the area’s traditional style of banana stem krathongs will be floated, and celebrants will be invited to make their own incense sticks along the riverbanks to add to their krathongs.
The city also holds a unique dance contest each year for the festival, offering a title to the person who can do the best traditional Thai folk dancing.
Samut Songkhram will celebrate from Nov. 21-23
Up in the Air in Chiang Mai
Celebrating traditions and activities that are unique to the Lanna people of the region, the Northern city does it just a bit differently — celebrating the festival as Yi Peng instead of Loy Krathong. In relation to beliefs of the Lanna people, they float lanterns into the sky instead of onto the water.
The lanterns, photos of which are often pinned and used as the background for goofy inspirational memes, burn white and orange in the night sky, and are, in part, meant to guard the city of Chiang Mai. The celebration will happen from Nov. 20-23.
But, if you don’t make it to Thailand for Loy Krathong, you can always stop by this theme park in Phuket that lets guests float a krathong or engage in Songkran-style water fights every day of the year.
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