The Loy Krathong festival (The Water Lantern Festival) will be held in Thailand on the night of November 27-28, 2023. Many people think that Loy Krathong is the most beautiful Thai festival. Let's not argue with this - beauty is diverse, it can be found in many places.
The festival is over. The next Water Lantern Festival will take place at the end of November 2024.
This is a very ancient tradition. The ancient festival of Loy Krathong (ลี่วะทัง) is celebrated in many Southeast Asian countries (including Thailand) on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. The date changes every year, but usually occurs at the end of November. (In guidebooks you may find the names “Night of Lights”, “Water Lantern Festival”.)
Approximate translation: “loy” - to swim, “krathong” - a small boat.
There is also the Sky Lantern Festival in Thailand.
On the night of the full moon, millions of people, Thai citizens and tourists, in many cities of the country launch krathongs into the waters of nearby rivers, canals, and lakes.
A krathong is a small raft traditionally made from banana leaves and decorated with flowers. A required attribute is a lit candle.
It happens that krathongs are made from synthetic materials, but this is a bad idea because they pollute the environment. (In 2016, in Bangkok, six tons of garbage were collected during cleanup after Loy Krathong. 662,000 krathong were collected from Bangkok's waterways. Of these, 618,000 were made from degradable natural materials, and 44,000 from polystyrene foam.)
The Loy Krathong festival is a tradition to show respect and gratitude to the goddess of water (river). The event may be accompanied by fireworks and other entertainment.
- Pattaya. City beaches are usually the festival venues in Pattaya.
- Phuket. In Phuket, this could be, for example, the beaches of Karon and Bang Tao.
- Bangkok. There are several popular places in Bangkok where you can launch a krathong or just watch others do it: Chao Phraya River, Asiatique The Riverfront, Tha Maharaj Mall.
You don't have to go to Thailand. Water lantern festivals are held in other countries and in many cities around the world. You yourself can make a small raft yourself and let it float on the water. But take precautions.
Sky Lantern Festival
November 27-28, 2023. Chiang Mai city, as well as other cities.
When talking about the lantern festival (festival of light, or there may be other names), someone talks about lanterns that are released onto the water, and someone talks about lanterns that are released into the sky. Who is right?
The point is that although these events take place around the same time, they are two slightly different traditions. (We do not take on the role of experts, but we share the information that we could find from various sources.)
The Yipeng Lantern Festival is an ancient tradition dating back to the ancient Lanna Kingdom. (The Lana Kingdom existed in the north of modern Thailand.)
The Lanna people used sky lanterns to worship Buddha during the festival. The tradition has survived to this day and has spread to other regions and countries. The lanterns are lit and released into the night sky, creating a magnificent spectacle.
If you are in Thailand these days, we recommend that you do not miss this opportunity and see the holiday with your own eyes.