The full moon of the 12th lunar month in the traditional Thai calendar marks the Thai festival of Loi Krathong. This celebration thought to originate from the Hindu Festival Diwali, in India, has progressed for Thai people into veneration of Mae Khongkha, the Mother of Waters. The act of floating ornately decorated Krathong or traditional banana leaf lanterns out onto various rivers and waterways is the main act in this brilliantly preserved tradition, also known as the “festival of lights”. Evolved from ancient Royal rituals, it has since been adopted by common people by making offerings to the Mother of Waters or in other cultures Buddha, as an expression of thanks for providing life sustaining water.
Some people look to cast away personal misery or ill fortune and have been said to go as far as placing tufts of hair or fingernail clippings into their Krathong in hopes of ridding themselves. Traditionally though, Krathongs are quite lovely and tend to look like swans, lotus blossoms or Mount Meru an important symbol in Buddhist mythology. Customarily each Krathong includes a flower, a lit candle, incense and a coin. In more northern parts of Thailand such as Chiang Mai, festivities can become more wild with fireworks and hot air balloons that participants can purchase, which are set off into the night air, trailed with a tail of firecrackers. Here Loi Krathong is also known as Yi Peng. Other cultural variations are seen the province of Tak, where Krathong’s are replaced by coconut shells strung together, but yet the meaning behind the tradition is the same, offering release and thanks, just as Loi Krathong
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