Or, in Thai, Loy Krathong. It’s the day when Thais stick incense sticks and candles on a little boat and launch it on the water.
This is our Krathong, attracting the attention of Tiki who attempted to eat the candle immediately after the photo was taken. It was fashioned by hand, using all natural materials, by she who must be obeyed over a period of several hours. Or, we bought it on the street and the key ingredient is Styrofoam.
The Krathong is taken down to the edge of the sea and several minutes are spent swearing while trying to light the candle in the wind (no singing please). Then you launch the krathong into the waves, the candle goes out and the whole contraption either capsizes or is washed back to shore. It’s a poignant moment.
Some try and get round the water based problems by launching hot-air lanterns…
Not always successfully:
….while others ignore the festival basics completely and let off fireworks, usually aimed at other people but sometimes sent out to sea; such that the sky above Pattaya becomes full of lanterns and fireworks all heading in one direction; a bit like an Israeli “proportionate response” to someone throwing a stone.
After the frenetic Pattaya Loy Krathong, we drove up to Tak and were surprised to discover that the one day event had been stretched into four days; and they were still floating their boats. There was a large stage on the river and downstream of that there were krathongs being launched.
Note: This is a 4 second exposure and the arc of fire is someone carrying a krathong to the water’s edge.
We then discovered the reason for the four day event. There was a competition between different areas of the province. Eight teams would each put on a half hour show and the winners would be decided on the final night. We watched one of the shows.
First, the participants, dancers, musicians and krathong wranglers, marched to the stage.
Then, the musicians played, the dancers danced, and the krathong wranglers fed a constant stream of burning boats into the river.
This went on for a full half hour, and by the end there were hundreds of krathong in the water.
The show ended with a monster krathong spewing fireworks, released to coincide with the end of the music and dancing display.
Fantastic, way better than the Pattaya beach mayhem.
Comments 🔗
2009-11-08| Wentworth saysI was in Bangkok for Loy krathong and along with everyone else within 20 kms I caught the skytrain to Saphan Taksin where upon I descended to what seemed to be the river Stxy under Taksin bridge. A bigger shit fight I have never seen but what impressed me most where the brave souls waiting in the water to rip open Krathongs seconds after they had been launched to extract any money inside. The whole spectacle wasn’t very edifying but it was very Thai.