My hands are so full since Hyzyd became officially a preschooler since last week that I forgot about Loy Krathong last November 10!
I’m looking forward for this year’s Loy Krathong. Why? I’ve been here in Thailand for 5 years but I haven’t got the chance to see this celebration up close and personal…teeheee…You see, the first time I was here (year 2006), bombings everywhere so we refrain from large crowds and the year after that…hmmmmmm..I’m contented by just staying in our apartment and watched from the distance the beautiful fireworks and floating lanterns in the sky.
What’s Loy Krathong? Loy (some spelled it “Loi”) literally means ‘to float,’ while krathong refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. It’s the time of the year where Thais will float their krathongs on a river, canal or a pond lake during the night of the full moon. It’s an event which does not occur on the same date every year; instead it counts on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month which usually falls on November. The festival is believed to originate in an ancient practice of paying respect to the spirit of the waters. Today it is simply a time to have fun.
In our school, they’re celebrating by holding Krathong-Contest Making for K-3 students. Originally, the krathong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. A krathong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle and coins. But some tried to make modernized krathongs – often made of bread or styrofoam. Regardless of the composition, a krathong will be decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense sticks.
Here are the winning Krathong-creations of the students:
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| This one is personally made by the Head of the Preschool Department, Pha Oi. She’s really creative! |
The K-1 has their Recycle Wear contest ! Look how creative the teachers are in turning plastic bags, papers, cardboard, plastics , and others into something wearable. Here are the top 5:
In the afternoon, our preschoolers were introduced to the tradition of floating the krathongs in inflatable ponds. They were told that the act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one’s grudges, anger and defilement, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. Some people will also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to krathong as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself.
Governmental offices, corporations and other organizations usually create big decorated rafts. There are also local and officially organised raft competitions, regarding its beauty and craftsmanship. In addition, there are also fireworks and beauty contests during the celebration of the festival. Unfortunately, this is what I missed on that day! I’m so tired that I fall asleep as early as 8:00 PM! When I woke up at 10:00 PM I was able to witnessed the fireworks and floating lanterns out from our window. Hopefully next time we could finally witness the celebration especially the lighting of the floating lanterns like this one:
