As you all know, yesterday was the full moon in the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar, which means it was Loy Krathong.
A krathong is a small floating object, usually decorated with flowers and holding a candle and some incense sticks.
Traditionally, a krathong is made from the trunk of a banana tree. Nowadays they are made from environmentally friendly materials including Styrofoam, plastic and wire, and teams of people spend days dredging their soggy remains from the lakes of Thailand. No such problems in Pattaya, we just launch them into the Gulf of Thailand where they spend the next few days being washed up on the shore or tangling themselves in fishing nets and windsurfing fins.
Also contributing to the post-event rubbish are the Khom Fai, flimsy lanterns which drift into the air before sinking into the gathering mess of krathongs littering the surface of the sea.
Traditionally they were made with the peeled skin of virgin piglets (my sources are a little shaky here), nowadays they are plastic.
Every year there is a rush to the hospitals with people, usually children, who have managed to remove some fingers or burn themselves with fireworks at Loy Krathong. The following year, the police pronounce that fireworks are banned for Loy Krathong, seize any on sale, sell them back to the vendors; and the mayhem repeats itself.
Last night we went to Tony’s Drifter’s Bar for beer, pizza, live music; and the sight of little kids on the beach lighting fireworks and then throwing them in the air just before they would have exploded; under the disinterested gaze of their parents.
She who must be obeyed had acquired a battleship size krathong to which she added a strand of my hair (ouch) and hers, and we duly waded into the sea to launch it, after making appropriate prayers and wishes (my wish was “don’t let my mobile phone in my trouser pocket get wet”, and it didn’t!
We returned home, leaving the sea awash with krathongs, khom fai and the burned fingers of infants.
Comments 🔗
2008-11-14| Jock saysAh Loy Loy Krathong !! Saw it a few years ago … great time had by all and the sight of hundreds of lanterns floating skywards is pretty impressive to say the least.
2008-11-14| Billy saysI guess the bar you were in had windows then :-)
2008-11-26| Andy saysNice pics Spike. I was told that is the only night there are no fishing boats out. I saw LK from Chaing Mai. It started at the restraunt for 100bht each for the big ones and continued the nx night at home. What a weekend of crackers and fireworks. It must be a contest to see who can let off the first cracker of the morning, LOL AW, Sydney PS, slap me here if required. SWMBO, (She who M B O)