Loi Krathong Festival

On the full moon of the 12th lunar month, as according to the Thai lunar calendar, the festival of light, Loi Krathong, takes place. Some friends and I went to the lake, where people light lanterns and set them aloft in the night sky, light fireworks, and light incense and candles on small "rafts" made of banana leaf and flowers, and then set them on the water. The festival gives people the chance to ask forgiveness from the water, which we pollute due to irrigation, etc.

I was lucky enough to have a raft of my own, courtesy of some of my grade 5 students.


The sky lanterns floated above our heads like jellyfish - well, those that took flight. Every now and then a gust of wind would ensure some lanterns were destined for the water, and the life burning inside them would disappear. But those that soared above were truly magical.


I have to wonder though - where do they all end up? Does some old dude open his front door the next morning and find a heap of fallen lanterns on his lawn? Does the farmer come to investigate what has blocked his irrigation waterways, only to discover hundreds of banana leaf rafts with incense sticks?


With all the light movement in the dark, my camera was just not up for the job, no matter the settings I tried. Suffice to say the festival - with lights floating in the air, their reflections shimmering on the lake with the rafts - was spectacular.