Loy, Loy Krathong

Last week we celebrated Loy Krathong, which is a Thai festival that is meant to be cleansing and provide an opportunity for Thais to repent. The krathongs are traditionally made with banana leaves and are always adorned with flowers, incense and a candle. As Thais prepare to float their basket on the lake, they always take a moment to themselves to pray. It’s fairly serene to watch people with bowed heads as the krathongs float on the water.

But that was pretty much the only serene part of the evening. I went with a few friends, including two Thai teachers, to a festival on Bang Maruan. In typical Thai fashion it was loud, busy and had plenty of food (my favourite part). There was music, fair rides, a beauty pageant, and what appeared to be a very dramatic play. I’m happy I got to spend the evening here and see what real Thai families do on Loy Krathong; I even saw quite a few of my students and their families! I have to admit it’s still pretty surreal to respond to kids yelling “teecha!”.

We spent about three hours at this festival trying different foods and taking photos!