Where is loy krathong celebrated

When put together, those two terms simply mean floating banana trunk festival. Modern krathongs are mostly made out of bread or Styrofoam. But Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes not allowed as they pollute the water and they are difficult to decompose. Bread Krathongs are more environmentally friendly as they are biodegradable and in most cases eaten by fish. Why do Thai people want to float a krathong?

There are many stories regarding how the festival originated. One of the versions is that Thai people have long been closely involved with rivers for ages as Thailand is an agriculture based country.

This means rivers are like their own blood veins. And to show respect to the river, basically the goddess of the river called Pra Mae Khongkha, Thai people decided to make a Krathong to worship and ask for forgiveness. The Thais now also see it as a time to wave goodbye to misfortune, wash away sins of the past year, and make wishes for the coming year. Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar.

In the western calendar, this usually falls in November. The exact date is announced a month before the festival. Hence the following dates are not confirmed dates. They are the full moon days on which the festival is based. Loy Krathong is celebrated all over Thailand.

You can go and enjoy the festival almost everywhere in the country where it has water. However, there are certain places which hold the festival in a much bigger scale. And our recommendations are Sukhothai, Chiang Mai, and Bankok. Located in the central of Thailand, Sukhothai is believed to be the birthplace of Loy Krathong, and is still one of the best places to experience the joyous festival.

Loy Krathong in Sukhothai is celebrated for five days. In addition to magical floating lights, there are beauty contest, parades, folk music performances and light and sound shows. Nearly all the festivities take place in Sukhothai Historical Park the old city.

If you want to see Loy Krathong in Sukhothai, remember to book hotels well ahead of time as it is a popular tourist destination with a limited number of hotels. Sukhothai Historical Park. As the largest city in northern Thailand, Chai Mai is known for its flying lanterns rather than its floating offerings. This temple has the reputation of "Thailand Eiffel Tower". During Loy Kratong, you can see many unique activities in the temples such as prayer procession, donation ceremonies, candlelight procession, the blessings, and Thai traditional dance.

Getting there: The temple of Wat Arun is most commonly accessed via boat stops along the river or can also be accessed by car. If you want to take a tuk-tuk or taxi, you can take Arun Amarin Road. The best way to get to Wat Saket is by taxi as there is not much public transportation available in this area.

Loy Krathong is a very popular time of year for dinner cruises and many of the boats will put on a special show for the festival. While on the dinner cruise, you can wine and dine while watching the river as it is light by fireworks, floating lanterns, and the moon. Getting a ticket on one of the many dinner cruise boats that run up and down the Chao Phraya River for Loy Krathong can be both difficult and expensive, but well worth it. Tips: Because of the popularity of dinner cruises during Loy Krathong, make sure to book your tickets well in advance.

There are four main parks in Bangkok where travelers can join in the celebration of Loy Krathong. At each, you will find a large variety of Krathongs for sale. If you would like to visit Bangkok and experience the Loy Krathong Festival, then please feel free to contact us at Asia Highlights.

From the moment you arrive, we will have everything prepared for you including your transport to your hotel and your hotel bookings. We can also arrange all your tours and trips to visit all the best temples and riverside locations to make your Loy Krathong experience the best it can be. At Asia Highlights, we create your kind of journey — your dates, your destinations, at your pace. Tubular lanterns, resembling hot air balloons, are lit and released into the night sky as an offering to the Lord Buddha.

As hundreds of illuminated lanterns drift into infinity, this conjures the same sense of wistful closure as the krathong float downstream. Sukhothai Loy Krathong and Candle Festival The Sukhothai Loy Krathong celebration is in itself a magnificent showcase of Thai art and culture, including a presentation of Thai performing arts, music, song and dance, complete with a Thai-style khantoke set dinner. The evening culminates in a display of traditional Thai fireworks and ends with krathong floats being set adrift in pools and ponds within the Sukhothai Historical Park.

Lampang Loy Krathong Festival In the ancient city of Lampang, the northern-style handcrafted krathong floats are known as sa-pao. To create a festive feel, local residents adorn homes, temples, provincial offices, shops, schools and various places with colorful and ornate Lanna or northern Thai-style decorations made with flowers considered to be auspicious, floral garlands, and flags. Loy Krathong celebrations begin with Buddhist merit-making offerings, including items of food, being presented to monks in the morning.

Sa-pao-making contests and the kaad mua — a traditional northern-style open-air market are the main focus of the activities. Loy Krathong Festival, which originated in the ancient Sukhothai Kingdom around years ago, is one of the biggest festivals in Thailand.

A krathong is a small lotus-shaped boat traditionally made from banana leaves and decorated with flowers. In the center of the Krathong, there are traditionally 3 sticks of incense and a lit candle, and other things like hair and coins. On the evening of the festival, Thai people gather around rivers, lakes, and canals to release lotus-shaped baskets or krathongs as a way to give thanks to the goddess of water called Pra Mae Khongkha and ask for forgiveness for using too much water or contaminating it.

Nowadays, it is also a way to get rid of negativity gathered during the previous year and welcome good fortune in the coming year. The festival of Loy Krathong is celebrated across Thailand as well as other countries in Southasian such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. Loy Krathong Festival is celebrated on the evening of the 12th full moon of the Thai lunar calendar.

It usually falls in the month of November , according to the Western calendar. Therefore, the Loy Kratong date is not fixed. It changes every year depending on the full moon. In , it will take place on the evening of 19th November. Find out how Loy Krathong date is determined and how long the Loy Krathong festival lasts. Of all the celebrations of the Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand, certain cities hold celebrations on a much larger scale. Chiang Mai is the best place to go for a Loy Krathong Festival experience.

With the floating lanterns of Loy Krathong on the river and the flying lanterns of Yi Peng dotting the night sky, Chiang Mai becomes a breathtaking scene that looks like something out of a fairytale. The government may make official announcements in early November.

One thing is confirmed that sky lanterns are prohibited. The mass release event will be postponed until the end of this year to celebrate the new year countdown festival. Contact us to book a ticket. See the top 4 places in Chiang Mai to celebrate Loy Krathong.

Bangkok is also a great place to celebrate Loy Krathong. There are usually many festival venues and activities across the city.