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Loy Krathong
Siamese festival / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Loy Krathong (Thai: ลอยกระทง, RTGS: Loi Krathong, pronounced [lɔ̄ːj krā.tʰōŋ])[lower-alpha 1] is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and in nearby countries with significant South Western Tai cultures (Laos, Shan, Mon, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah, and Xishuangbanna). The name could be translated as "to float ritual vessel or lamp," and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water and River, Goddess Khongkha (Thai: พระแม่คงคา) or to worship the Holy Buddha's hair pagoda in heaven in Buddhist beliefs. This festival traces its origin back to India.[5][6]
Loy Krathong | |
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![]() Floating krathong in Chiang Mai | |
Official name | Loy Krathong[1] |
Observed by | Thailand, Laos (as Boun That Luang), northern Malaysia, Shan in Myanmar, and Xishuangbanna in China, Myanmar (as Tazaungdaing festival), Sri Lanka (as Il Poya), Cambodia (as Bon Om Touk, China (as Lantern Festival), |
Type | Asian |
Significance | Worship and ask for forgiveness from Goddess of water Ganga, worship the Buddha's hair pagoda in the heaven[2] |
Date | Full moon of the 12th Thai month |
2023 date | 27 November[3] |
2024 date | 15 November[4] |
Frequency | Annual |
Related to | Tazaungdaing festival (in Myanmar), Mid-Autumn Festival (in China),, Bon Om Touk (in Cambodia), Il Poya (in Sri Lanka), Boita Bandana (in Odisha, India) |
Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar, thus the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November. In Chiang Mai, the festival lasts three days, and in 2018, the dates were 21–23 November.
In Thailand, the festival is known as Loi Krathong. Outside Thailand, this festival is celebrated under different names, including Myanmar as the "Tazaungdaing festival", Sri Lanka as "Il Full Moon Poya", China as "Lantern Festival" and Cambodia as "Bon Om Touk".[7][8][9][10][11]