Have you ever seen "Tangled"? If you have, then you remember a very important scene where Rapunzel gets to see the floating lanterns. Where she stands on the boat in amazement looking around as the lights ascend to the Heavens, but did anyone know that this is an actual celebration?
The floating lights festival is a celebration held in Thailand that is held once a year. Let’s take a closer look at, what Thailand calls, The Loy Krathong and The Yi Peng Chiang Mai Lantern Festivals.
Loy Krathong is a festival that is held on the evening of the twelfth full moon in Thai’s moon calendar, which usually falls around mid-November. This year, the Festival of Lights will be held on Nov. 11.
This is a celebration in which the people make small banana leaf rafts to send out on a river or canal for the definition of Loy Krathong is “float a banana leaf raft."
They make this raft out of banana leaves, banana tree bark, three light incense, a candle, pins to hold the raft together and decorations such as flowers and coins.
But why do they make these rafts with such care? The idea is, once they light the candle, they make a wish and send their raft down a river or canal.
They believe that once the raft is out of their hands, it takes away all their past sins and brings good luck for the upcoming year. Loy Krathong is also considered to be the Valentine’s Day of Thailand.
In the days of old, young men and women could not meet, except at religious events, so during days like this, it was their only time to meet and be able to fall in love with someone.
Nowadays, it is a great opportunity for bonding with old and new couples. Sending them together is a symbol of many years together. It is now very common to see a man propose to his love at The Lantern Festival especially in Chiang Mai.
As for Yi Peng Chiang Mai, the two festivals may seem similar, but they are extremely different. This amazing festival is held dominantly in Chiang Mai, the former capital and the second-largest city in Thailand.
How they discover the dates of celebration is the full moon day of the ancient Lanna Kingdom Lunar Calendar, therefore, the festival this year is held from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13.
Instead of making rafts, they make Khom Loi, which is also known as a sky lantern. This is made of a very thin fabric, stretched over bamboo or some sort of wireframe and a candle.
There are plenty of activities to do while in Chiang Mai such as worship rituals, parades of traditional Taiwanese dances, bazaars, fireworks, live music and much more.
They do have the same idea at the Loy Krathong festival when someone releases their lantern, it is supposed to remove any unfavorable luck or sins that a person may have and bring them grand fortunes for the next year.
These are both incredible festivals to attend once in your life. With such a unique culture, it is a thriving experience for anyone who wishes to know the cultures of the world around them.
It is a great opportunity for love, adventure and wisdom. So, get your lanterns fixed up because this great celebration is less than one week away!
Photo courtesy of BaBaBeachClub.com
