Phuket Loy Krathong Festival

PHUKET LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL

Loy Krathong - Full Moon Festival Loy Krathong Festival, pronounced Loy Kratong, is is held every full moon night in November, the only full moon in November. This is a festival where Thai people prepare small round boats known as 'kratong's' made banana tree trunks and and decorated with banana tree leaves woven together and flowers, candles and incense and food. These small hand made floats are set out upon the water - rivers, canals, ponds, and the sea floating and glowing. Their prayers are uttered so that the kratong will float away, taking away all the bad spirits and sins along with it.

Loy Krathong is one of the most picturesque festivals in Thailand, and major hotels in Patong and all around Phuket often host a special evening celebration so that guests can participate.

All of the major west coast beaches have Loy Kratong festivities, with Nai Harn and Patong usually having the most activity. The crowds are a mix of Thais and tourists, and it's a big night for couples to celebrate, as it is believed that couples who make a wish together on this day will enjoy long-lasting love.

Two sites in Phuket Town, Saphan Hin and Suan Luang (King Rama IX) parks, are popular places for locals to celebrate. Expect big crowds at both of these locations.

The festival was found under the reign of Sukhothai King Rama Kamhaeng in the 13th century. His wife, Nang Nobamas, daughter to a Brahmin court priest, was the reign's most esteemed poetess. She introduced to the King the practice of constructing floats of lotus flowers to send down the river. Suitably impressed, the King made Loy Krathong into an official state ceremony. The Nang Nobamas Beauty Contest, taking place in Chiang Mai during the festival, commemorates this - supposedly very beautiful - woman's contribution to Thai culture.

But this story may be mere legend. Some scholars have recently assailed the commonly accepted idea that Rama Kamhaeng devised the Thai system of writing in 1283. Instead, it is possible that the polyglot 19th-century King Rama IV fabricated this first formulation of Thai script in order to demonstrate to the colonizing Europeans that Thai culture and learning was on par with Europe's. Or he might have intended to create a false, but expedient sense of Thai national identity to help deflect colonial encroachment. Possibly the Loy Krathong legend was created for similar reasons.

Loy Kratong is probably the most pleasing and beautiful of all Thai celebrations. It begins to weave its magic at dusk when kratongs, lights and lanterns transform night into day. Flickering candles drifting out across the water create an aura of romance that is irresistible.

On that day, thousands of people watch intently as the float drifts silently downstream, hoping that the candle will not go out. Its flame is said to signify longevity, fulfillment of desires and release from sins. Altogether it is considered a romantic night for couples or lovers. Couples who make a wish together on Loy Kratong are thought to stay together in the future.

Although Loy Kratong is an old Thai tradition, celebrated continuously since ancient times, the use of modern foam materials to make the kratong has taken its toll on the environment. By paying respect with the incense and offering, the Thais are asking forgiveness of "Mother River” for their pollution. And by floating away the kratongs they are floating their sins away.

Today, instead of synthetic foams, natural materials such as the original banana leaves or even bread have been used to make the floats. In addition, kratong are increasingly being released in small canals or swimming pools to prevent pollution in the rivers. In this way, the old tradition can still be preserved while our rivers and waterways remain in pristine condition for future generations.