Loi Krathong (Thai: ????????, pronounced [l??:j kr?.t???]) is a Siamese festival celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and in nearby countries with significant southwestern Tai cultures (Laos, Shan, Mon, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah and Xishuangbanna). The name could be translated as "to float a basket," and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river.
Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November. In Chang Mai, the festival lasts three days, and in 2018, the dates will be 21 - 23 November.
In Thailand, the festival is known as "Loi Krathong" (????????). Outside Thailand, this festival is celebrated under different names, including Myanmar as the "Tazaungdaing festival", Sri Lanka as "Il Full Moon Poya" and Cambodia as "Bon Om Touk".
Video Loi Krathong
Overview
According to the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, loi (???) means "to float", while krathong (?????) has various meanings, one of which is "a small container made of leaves which can be floated on water during the Loi Krathong festival". Krathong is traditionally a small leaf container which is made to hold a small portion of goods like a traditional Thai dish (such as "Hor Mok") or dessert. The traditional krathong used for floating at the festival are made from a slice of a banana tree trunk or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or Styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits.
On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits.
Government offices, corporations, and other organizations launch large decorated krathongs. There are competitions for the best of these large krathongs. A beauty contest is a regular feature and fireworks have become common in recent years.
Loi Krathong is often claimed to have begun in the Sukhothai by a court lady named Nopphamat. However, it is now known that the Nopphamat tale comes from a poem written in the early Bangkok period. According to King Rama IV, writing in 1863, it was a Brahmanical festival that was adapted by Thai Buddhists in Thailand to honor the Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama. The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's floating symbolizes letting go of all one's hatred, anger, and defilements. 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. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, the Hindu Goddess Ganga, Phra Mae Khongkha (Thai: ??????????).
The beauty contests that accompany the festival are known as "Nopphamat Queen Contests". According to legend, Nang Nopphamat (Thai: ????????; alternatively spelled as "Noppamas" or "Nopamas") was a consort of the 13th century Sukhothai king Sri Indraditya (who is also known as Phra Ruang) and she had been the first to float a decorated raft. However, this is a new story which was invented during the first part of the 19th century. There is no evidence that a Nang Nopphamat ever existed. Instead, it is a matter of fact that a woman of this name was the leading character of a novel released at the end of the reign of King Rama III, around 1850 CE. Her character was written as guidance for all women who wished to become civil servants.
Kelantan in Malaysia celebrates Loi Krathong similarly, especially in the Tumpat area. The ministry in charge of tourism in Malaysia recognises it as an attraction for tourists. Many people visit the celebration each year.
Yi Peng
Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng (Thai: ???????). Yi means "two" and peng means a "full moon day". Yi Peng refers to the full moon day in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar (the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar). The festival is meant as a time to make merit (Thai: ?????; RTGS: tham bun).
Swarms of sky lanterns (Thai: ??????; RTGS: khom loi), literally: 'floating lanterns', are launched into the air. Khom loi are made from a thin fabric, such as rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When the fuel cell is lit, the resulting hot air is trapped inside the lantern and creates enough lift for the khom loi to float into the sky.
Because they are a hazard to passing aircraft and "...can cause damage to important places in the areas such as the Grand Palace [sic], temples and governmental offices,..." khom loi are increasingly subject to governmental restrictions. In Chiang Mai, authorities cancelled 78 flights in and out of Chiang Mai Airport on 3-4 November 2017. Another 79 flights were rescheduled. In Bangkok, the public are prohibited from using fireworks and sky lanterns entirely. Violators may face three years imprisonment and/or a fine of 60,000 baht. One hundred-ninety piers on the Chao Phraya River will be open to the public to float their krathongs.
During the festival, some people also decorate their houses, gardens, and temples with khom fai (Thai: ?????), intricately shaped paper lanterns which take on different forms. Khom thue (Thai: ??????) are lanterns which are carried around hanging from a stick, khom khwaen (Thai: ???????) are the hanging lanterns, and khom pariwat (Thai: ??????????), which are placed at temples and which revolve due to the heat of the candle inside. The most elaborate Yi Peng celebrations can be seen in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of the former Lanna kingdom, where now both Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are celebrated at the same time resulting in lights floating on the waters, lights hanging from trees/buildings or standing on walls, and lights floating in the sky. The tradition of Yi Peng was also adopted by certain parts of Laos during the 16th century.
Maps Loi Krathong
The aftermath
In 2016, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) cleaned six tonnes of rubbish from the city's waterways on the day after Loi Krathong. The city governor said that 661,935 floats were collected from waterways across Bangkok. Of these, 617,901 (93.7 percent) were made of decomposible natural materials, while 44,034 were non-biodegradable Styrofoam floats. There were 163,679 fewer krathong collected than in 2015. The city mobilized 210 workers and 45 boats to collect floats from the Chao Phraya River and canals.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, 50 workers collected krathong from the moat in the town centre near the Thao Suranaree Monument. In Buriram, more than 200 workers and volunteers in Mueang District cleared at least 20,000 krathong from the town's moat. There, Styrofoam krathong will be banned in 2017. In Lampang, more than 100 students and teachers from the Institute of Physical Education helped municipal workers clean up the Wang River in Mueang District.
Gallery
See also
- Public holidays in Thailand
- Thai folklore
- Similar festivals
- Tazaungdaing festival - Burmese equivalent of Loi Krathong
- Bon Om Tuk - Cambodian equivalent of Loi Krathong
- Diwali - Indian light festival
- T?r? nagashi - Japanese lantern festival
- Bali Jatra
- Leaf boat
Notes
References
External links
- Sukhothai celebrations
- Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Loi Krathong Information
- Suttinee Yavaprapas; Chaleo Manilerd; Thailand. Kras?ang Watthanatham. External Relations Division; Thailand. Kras?ang Watthanatham. Office of the Permanent Secretary (2004). Loy Krathong Festival. Ministry of Culture, External Relations Division. ISBN 978-974-9681-22-0. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- Donald K. Swearer (1 February 2010). The Buddhist world of Southeast Asia. SUNY Press. pp. 49-. ISBN 978-1-4384-3251-9. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- Anuman Rajadhon (Phray?) (1956). Loy krathong & Songkran festival. National Culture Institute. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
- The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe. Forgotten Books. pp. 358-367. ISBN 978-1-4400-9096-7. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
Source of article : Wikipedia
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