Loy Krathong Water Festival

The Loy Krathong Festival -
Nov. 12, 2008

Last night (Nov 12) was the Loy Krathong Festival here in Thailand. It is a major festival here. The ladies from the office invited me to attend with them.

The festival involves small krathongs (floats traditionally made from a slice of the trunk of a banana tree & decorated with folded banana leaves, flowers, lighted incense sticks & candles) being set adrift on the rivers & klongs (canals) & any body of water to honour the water spirits & wash away the previous year's sins (this from my guide book). The ladies explained that it is the festival to honor the water, because water is so important to Thai way of life. They use it for transportation, to grow their food (rice mostly), to drink. As you fly over Thailand you can understand the importance of water, as most of the "land" is covered with water, it's a very strange sight.

We took the Sky Train to the main river that runs through the city (Chao Phraya River). There were tons of people milling around & in true Asian fashion, tons of stalls set up to sell stuff. Mostly people were selling the krathongs (floats) & they were all shapes & sizes. Some were made of banana trunk, but many were made from bread & dinner rolls. I guess these are good for the fish to enjoy! The krathongs were decorated with flowers & flags & candles & incense.

We purchased our krathongs & boarded a ferry (after much confusion as to which boat to get on). Normally the ferries do not run after 7pm, but tonight they made special
trips up the river so that people could release their krathongs. Normally the fare for the ferry is 15THB (about 25cents), but tonight it was 60THB ($2) to go up the river & turn around & come back - 40 minute ride.

It was a beautiful night. Cool by Bangkok standards (low 80's & not much humidity) & there was a full moon in a clear sky. The river was full of boats, most lit up with white lights. There were dinner cruise boats & smaller ferries & personal water crafts all buzzing around the river. It was an extremely festive feeling. Most of the buildings along the river were also lit up with special lights for the occasion. When we got to the krathong drop off point the ferry stopped & everyone began lighting the candles & incense on their krathongs. Many people had sparklers also & we lit these & stuck them into our krathongs also. Unfortunately for the krathong viewing there was a nice breeze blowing, so nothing stayed lit for very long. I had imagined that there would be hundreds of lit "lanterns" floating atop the water at once, but this was not the reality of it.

There are different beliefs about the krathongs. They told me that if lovers put their krathongs in together & they remain floating together their love will last, but if the krathongs float apart the love will not last. John stayed home, so not able to test that theory.

We headed back to the pier & had dinner at a steak place. I tried to order Thai food, but each thing I ordered they said "not available". Finally they said, "no Thai food tonight, only Western". I guess that is a treat to everyone else. So I had chicken salad, they all had steak & french fries!

Next we went back to the main pier area where there is a bridge crossing the river. We shoved our way onto the bridge with hundreds of others & waited about 20 minutes
until some fireworks began. They were quite beautiful over the river & there were 3 different areas they were going off. By this time it was 9:30 & the ladies have very long commutes (up to 1.5 hours). They told me the fireworks were over, but I knew they weren't, but I also knew they would never leave me there by myself (even though I'd be fine). They are extremely protective of me. So we left. On my walk from the train to the apartment, I did see flashes of light coming from the direction of the river, but at least I got to experience it with my Thai friends.

Unfortunately the camera I brought took horrible photos. It was our more complicated camera so the shutter speed was really slow since it was dark & everything came out
blurred. I didn't want to bother with a tripod. So there are photos of the krathongs & of my Thai buddies - enjoy!

This weekend is finally the funeral of the King's Beloved Sister (she died in March). They have erected a building for the funeral which is supposed to be amazing. I'm hoping to get over that way to see it, before it is torn down next week. I've been told that we need to wear black from Nov 14 - 16 in respect for the Princess. They have been selling black or white rubber bracelets all over the place this week to raise money for her charities. I'll let you know how it all goes. We have company visitors coming to town, so should be doing some fun things!