'loy krathong' festival
that's the annual and most colourful festival held in the whole of thailand...it happens on the first full moon of november each year, when the locals make banana leaf bowls (krathongs) decorated with flowers and candles which they later allow to float (loy) to the sea or river...foreigners dubbed it as the 'festival of lights' because on the night itself, the entire country's bodies of water are filled with candle-lit krathongs floating from all over, truly a sight to see...
according to folklore, the krathong is supposed to carry all the misfortunes, bad tidings or any negative aspect which one experienced the entire year and it is during loy krathong when one gets the chance to drive them all away...for lovers, it is said that they will have a long lasting relationship when both their krathongs float together til the candle stops burning...most krathongs also have one or more coins tucked inside the flower or leaf decoration, apparently to honour their sea goddess so that she will make the following year a prosperous one...
below are a few photos of my first 'loy krathong' experience, as celebrated in the resort i worked with...being the emcee for the entire proceeding, which showed various collections of big and small krathongs amidst a colourful cultural dance and rituals about the festival, i wore a traditional thai costume, which, surprisingly, is very similar to one of ours...
one of the highlights of the evening was a gigantic ice carving featuring the different temples or pagodas found in thailand...it was set just beside the main pool, providing a spectre of light on the water with its reflection...
well i had to cheat a little bit and push my krathong cos it won't float away :-)
of course, seeing what i did, a guest cheated too and started pushing his krathong as well hehehe
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