Thailand Loy Krathong Lantern Festival Story And How People Celebrate It

Loy Krathong, Thailand's floating lantern festival, is an amazing festival of which the celebration includes a ritual where floating lanterns with lit candles are released on rivers and lakes across Thailand. In Chiang Mai, Loy Krathong takes place on the same day as Yi Peng Festival where flying lanterns are released into the sky. These two events attract millions of travelers every year.
Loy Krathong festival takes place on the night of the 12th full moon of the Thai lunar calendar, which usually falls in mid-November. In 2019, Loy Krathong Festival will take place on November 11th.
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The word “Loy” in Thai means “to float” and a “Krathong” is a lotus-shaped boat made from banana tree leaves and bark. So in Thai, Loy Krathong Festival literally means “to float a lotus-shaped boat”.
So how did Loy krathong begin? A popular story about the holiday goes like this:

In the ancient Sukhothai kingdom around the year 800, King Ram Kamphaeng took an extravagant cruise on the river to celebrate the full moon of the 12th lunar month.

During the cruise, the King’s favorite mistress, Nophamas, created the first krathong which was an eye-catching lotus-shaped boat made from banana leaves with a small lit candle placed in the center. Nophamas then took the krathong and set it on the water to float away and honor Buddha and the Thai water goddess.

Onlookers were inspired by Nophamas’s actions and decided to follow her lead and create their own krathongs. Soon, the river was full of bouncing lotus lanterns that flickered under the full moon.

The King was very pleased and decreed that the holiday should be celebrated every year in the same way. Thus the tradition of the floating lantern festival——Loy Krathong began.
Today, Loy Krathong is celebrated all across Thailand. The celebration typically includes firework shows, parades, carnival festivities, and releasing delicate hand-made Krathongs.
If you are interested in experiencing Loy krathong Festival in Thailand, then there is nowhere better than Chiang Mai! Chiang Mai is a special place to be during this holiday because the city not only celebrates Loy Krathong but also Yi Peng the sky lantern festival as well!