The krathong is a small floating offering about 20 centimeters in diameter. Traditionally this is made from the leaves and wood of the banana tree. The raft is decorated with flowers, a candle and an incense stick. People often leave a small coin in the krathong, and occasionally they will leave a lock of the hair or even nail clippings. On the night of the full moon people will light the candle and the joss stick, and float their krathong down the river. As with the Khom Loy, this is a way that bad fortune can be discarded and made to float away. Thousands of these will float down the river making for a beautiful and moving spectacle. Usually, at the same time, thousands of Khom Loy will be drifting across the sky, so that the night sky mirrors the spectacle on the water. Almost constant firework displays, and the splashes of small boys diving in to collect the coins in the krathongs, complete the picture, and make for an unforgettable experience. Lanna or Chiang Mai came to adopt the Central Thai Loy Kratong festival only when the Queen Dara Rasami (Lanna woman) of King Rama V came back to Chiang Mai from Bangkok and floated a krathong into the Ping River. Since then, floating of krathong became popular among people in Chiang Mai and later was made even more popular by the Chiang Mai governor to promote tourism. Since then the beauty contest and Kratong Parade have replaced the original spirit of Yee Peng.
Noppamas Queen
Beauty contests are often a feature of Thai festivals and the Loy Krathong celebrations are no exception. According to legend Noppomas was a consort of the King of Sukothai in the fourteenth century. She was the daughter of a Brahmin priest at the King’s court. She made the first krathong out of banana leaves in the shape of a lotus flower and presented it to the King. He lit the candle and the incense stick and floated it on the water, so starting the tradition we know today. In fact, the floating of Krathongs (Loy Krathong meansfloating krathong) began as a Sukothai tradtion, but was later grafted onto these festival celebrations all over Thailand. The Loy Krathong Parade usually features contestants in the Noppamas Queen beauty contest, which is always held as part of the celebrations.
Sky
Lanterns – Khom Loy / Khom Fai
The
Khom Loy, also known as Khom Fai, is a cylinder of paper about one meter high,
braced with wire circles. Suspended from the bottom of the cylinder is a tray
containing cotton soaked in kerosene. Fireworks and firecrackers are also often
attached to the tray. These catch fire and explode after the balloon is
launched. Once the cotton is lit it takes about a minute for the air inside the
cylinder to heat up enough to lift the balloon into the air.
It is
believed that launching one of these balloons can send a person’s bad luck and
misfortune away into the air, especially if it disappears from view before the
fire goes out. Often people will say a short prayer before launching the
balloon. Sometimes they will also place their address in the balloon, or write
it on the outside. Anyone who later finds the balloon can then claim money from
the sender. In this way the good fortune is shared.
The
people in Northern Thailand also venerate Pra Ged Kaew Ju La Manee (the Crystal
Chedi in heaven in which the Buddha’s hair is kept), and worship this by
sending air ballooned lantern into the high sky. The Chiang Mai area has been
the scene of massed balloon launches for a thousand or more.
We went to Thapae Gate looking for the Parade.
Many many people.
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