The Loy Krathong Festival is the most beautiful festival in Thailand.
It wasn’t the first time I was moved to tears during a trip.
After nightfall, as I released krathongs and lanterns alongside locals in Chiang Mai, I turned around and saw unfamiliar Thai friends beside me, who didn’t speak my language but conveyed blessings through smiles and gestures. Each one was so wholeheartedly devout, with gratitude and prayers being the only thoughts in their minds at that moment.
I looked around and saw locals and foreign tourists from all over. Though their wishes varied, ultimately, they all came down to something as simple as peace and happiness. It was this act of humbling oneself to the smallest degree, praying for a simple wish with the most humble heart, that deeply moved me from the bottom of my heart.
A grandfather and granddaughter each held a krathong, devoutly making wishes to the river spirit.
The Loy Krathong Festival is the most beautiful celebration in Thailand, with origins tracing back over 700 years to the Sukhothai Kingdom. At that time, the king of the Sukhothai Kingdom would preside over a ceremony to worship the river spirit on the full moon night of the 12th lunar month each year. This season was when Thailand’s rainy season had just ended and river waters were high. Low-lying areas in Thailand were often hit by floods, so the king chose the brightest full moon night to hold the ceremony, expressing reverence and gratitude to the river spirit. On one hand, it was to thank the river spirit for its care throughout the year, and on the other, to pray for protection for the Thai people against floods, as well as for a bountiful and harmonious harvest in the coming year.
The ancient heritage site of Sukhothai Historical Park is one of the most important locations for Loy Krathong Festival activities. As evening falls and night sets in, crowds begin to gather.
The Loy Krathong Festival spread throughout Thailand and gained a romantic atmosphere thanks to a queen. Legend has it that the third king’s consort, with her skillful hands and creative mind, crafted lotus-shaped bases using local flowers and banana leaves, decorated with carvings of flowers and birds made from sugarcane and fruits, to be used by the king in worshipping the water spirit. The king, delighted by the exquisitely beautiful krathong, decreed the 12th lunar month’s full moon night as Loy Krathong Day. Since then, the tradition of releasing krathongs has flourished across Thailand.
Decorative Loy Krathong Festival installations can also be seen at Chiang Mai Airport.