Loy Krathong and Yi Peng - Thai’s Light Festival

1. Loi Krathong

Loi Krathong is a Light Festival or known as the Lantern Festival in Thailand that takes place in the evening on the full moon day of the 12th month in the Thai traditional Lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar, this festival usually falls on the full moon day in November. Loi Krathong is celebrated nationwide by releasing lotus-shaped baskets, decorated with candles and flowers on the rivers. It is believed that the festival originated with paying homage to the river spirit and thanking the water god for the rain. Outside Thailand, Loi Krathong is celebrated under different names, including Myanmar as the Tazaungdaing Festival.

A hand made Loi Krathong

Light Festival in Thailand

2. Yi Peng

Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng, which refers to the full moon day in the 2nd month according to the Lanna lunar calendar. A huge number of floating lanterns are launched in the air known as Khoi Lom. They are all made from a thin fabric, such as rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wireframe, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached.

Thousand of Floating Lanterns

3. What you can expect to experience during the festival

• Swarms of lanterns flying to the sky in Chiang Mai
• A Buddhist purification ceremony to cleanse your spirit
• Making your private wish among the huge crowds of people
• Candles flickering on the streets at night
• Traditional Thai dance shows
• Thousands of baskets with candles floating on the river at night

Celebrated all over Thailand, the most exciting festivities take place in Bangkok and Old Sukhothai, as people gather by the rivers to float krathongs and to watch traditional dance or sound-and-light performances. Float your Krathong in Bangkok or Fly your lantern in Sukhothai.

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Image source: Internet