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Adventure Vacations at the Belize Jungle Dome
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The Loy Krathong Festival - lighting up the Chao Phraya
The Loy Krathong Festival is one of the most colorful Thai
festivals celebrated nationwide. Processions of beautiful girls
dressed in traditional costumes carry floral floats that are
floated on rivers and lakes. Each province has its special
features in celebrating this annual Festival of Lights.
In Bangkok the highlight of the Loy Krathong Festival was a
procession of boats from the Royal Thai Navy decorated with
various designs and lights presented by various organizations
held nightly from 13 - 16 November 2005.
It was a spectacular floating kaleidoscope flickering in the
night along the Chao Phraya River from the Taksin Bridge to King
Rama VIII Bridge against a backdrop of historical monuments
lighted up for the occasion.
The Loy Krathong tradition
What's the significance of this festival beyond the color and
pageantry?
The Loy Krathong Festival is a 13th century Sukhothai tradition
of Brahmin origin, adapted to Buddhism, to give thanks to the
Goddess of water and to seek forgiveness for past misdeeds.
This tradition is particularly strong in agricultural societies
where the river gives life and sustenance in a close bond
between Man and Nature. To the millions of farmers dependant on
its source of water, the Chao Phraya is the river of life.
Held on the 15th night of the new moon in the twelve-month of
the Thai calendar, the Loy Krathong Festival usually falls in
the third or fourth week of November.
The Loy Krathong ritual
In the ritual, the person kneels by the water, says a prayer,
makes a wish, asks for forgiveness and floats (loy) off the
lighted krathong. Courting couples float off a krathong together
under the full moon and watch as the krathong drifts towards the
fulfillment of their dreams.
Making the krathong
Made entirely from natural material, traditional krathongs
consist of a small slice of banana trunk to serve as the float,
which is decorated with banana leaves, multi-colored orchids,
lotus and bright yellow marigolds, a candle and three joss
sticks.
In the old days, sharpened wooden slivers are used to pin
the
leaves. Nails and staples have replaced these today. It's
customary to leave some coins and a strain of your hair in the
krathong to bring in good fortune and carry away the bad.
Merrymaking on Loy Krathong night
Locally the Loy Krathong Festival is celebrated at various
locations near the Chao Phraya River, which are buzzing with
activity, heightening as one reaches the riverbanks.
Roads to the piers are filled with vendors and buskers as crowds
patiently inch their way to the banks packed with people of all
ages. Many queue for boats to float their krathongs mid-stream.
The celebration goes on for the whole night with more people
arriving in the early hours.
Protecting the environment
Cleaning up the rivers and canals after the festival is a
formidable task. On 17 November 2005, the morning after, it took
4,000 cleaners to retrieve 1.2 million krathongs in Bangkok
alone!
The City administration discourages the use of Styrofoam, as
these are non-biodegradable. The more enterprising have baked
bread in the shape of krathongs that are consumed by fishe
Towards a better tomorrow
As fireworks burst overhead lighting the dark Bangkok skies,
another Loy Krathong Festival comes to an end. Meanwhile the
krathongs drift along the Chao Phraya carrying with them the
hopes of thousands wishing for a better tomorrow.
If you're in Bangkok during the next Loy Krathong Festival,
view the festivities at any of the Chao
Phraya river piers. For a panoramic view, stay at one of the
riverside hotels or take a river cruise by night.
About the author:
Experience the color and vibrancy of the L
oy Krathong Festival next November when you Tour
Bangkok Legacies. The author, Eric Lim, is a free-lance
writer who lives in Bangkok Thailand.
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