Was it me or was Loy Krathong fairly subdued this year. I took a stroll down beach road Jomtien last night, and there was plenty of people around, but nowhere near as busy as I remember from previous years.
For those that don’t know, Loy Krathong, which translates to “floating basket”, is a traditional Thai festival that takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar hence, the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November.
The exact meaning behind the festival varies, and most Thai people have their own reasons for celebrating it, although many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the Hindu Goddess Ganga.
The Thai’s take great pride in creating some pretty good looking Krathong’s, and they come in all shapes and sizes, but with some similarities too, such as they all have candles. The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong’s floating symbolizes letting go of all one’s hatred, anger, and defilement’s. People sometimes cut their fingernails or hair and place the clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of past transgressions and negative thoughts
Anyone with Facebook will have seen their news feed bombarded with pictures of their Thai friends, and foreign friends who are in Thailand, celebrating the festival. Maybe, like me, you posted your own too, so until next year….Happy Loy Krathong!
