Loy Kratong Festival

Sawatdee ka,

Every year the Loy Kratong Festival falls on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, this year the festival falls on the 10th of November.The festival originally started from the Sukhothai period a symbolic tradition, as one floats away their Kratong at the same time it releases bad luck or vibes, as well as expressed apologies to the River Goddess Khong Kha. (เจ้าแม่คงคา)

ลอย ‘Loy’ literally means ‘to float,’ while กระทง ‘kratong’ is the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. Originally, the kratong was made of banana leaves (ใบตอง [bai-dtong]) or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A kratong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle and coins. The making of a kratong is much more creative these days as many more materials are available.

The Loy Kratong ritual is a simple one. One needs only to light the candles and the joss sticks, make one’s wishes and let it float away with the current of a river or a canal.

Where to celebrate
Although celebrated nationwide, Loy Kratong is particularly delightful in the provinces of Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, Ayutthaya and Bangkok.

As the place of origin of the festival, Sukhothai rightly remains the focal point of the celebrations. The festival comes with a spectacular light-and-sound show held in the ancient and traditional setting of the Sukhothai historical park.

If you are in the North of Thailand, you can join the spectacular occasion at Chiang Mai where it is specifically called Yee Peng (ยี่เป็ง) -floating of lanterns into the sky.