Loy Krathong: Thai Festival of Lights

The evening of Loy Krathong is one of the most picturesque festivals in Thailand. It’s when people gather around lakes, rivers and canals to pay respects to the goddess of water by releasing beautiful lotus-shaped rafts, decorated with candles, incense and flowers onto the water.

Every year, Loy Krathong falls on the night of the 12th lunar month (usually in November), at the end of the rainy season when the full moon lights up the sky. The sight of thousands of krathongs, their flickering candles sending a thousand pinpoints of light far into the horizon is a truly magical sight.

The history behind it? As the main rice harvest season ends, it’s time to thank the Water Goddess for a year’s worth of her abundant supply, as well as an apology for polluting the waters. Most people also take this opportunity to make a wish for good luck in the future. As they watch the krathong float away, they hope it will also take any of their bad luck.

There are many destinations around Thailand that organize the festival in a unique way, I was glad to experience this beautiful tradition with my local sister Fohn in Prasat district.

Heads-up! Another festival is waiting around the corner: the Elephant Round-Up which takes place in Surin. This place is very well known to both Thai people and international tourists as “The Land of Elephants”. The event kicks off with an elephant parade through the streets of Surin and the famous “elephant breakfast”. Sounds promising, right?