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| Monks helping people light their lanterns at a temple. |
Sarah and I
planned our trip to Thailand to coincide with the annual lantern festival,
Loy
Krathong. It was hard to get information about the festival before arriving in Chiang Mai, but once we were there, we could not escape the festival had we wanted to (which we didn't). We saw lanterns in the air, floating down the river, and set up in parks,
temples and plazas across the city. The
sky was filled with thousands of paper lanterns lit from within by flame. The
effect is intoxicating. I first noticed the lanterns in the sky after walking
into a temple complex lit by hundreds of small red clay candles with orange wax,
placed on every surface, including the golden
chedi, which reflected the lights beautifully as a black and white
temple cat slept peacefully amongst the candles. A monk’s chants were amplified
on a loudspeaker for Thais sitting on folding chairs facing the
chedi worshipping and leaving offerings.
The monk knelt in front of the
chedi, his
amplified chants lending eerie sound effects
.
As I walked out of
the temple complex gate, decorated with palm fronds and colorful lanterns, I
looked up and saw lanterns floating in the sky. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the
sky as I weaved through the busy night streets, until a massive parade diverted
my attention.
Thousands of
people flood the streets to celebrate Loy
Krathong in Chiang Mai. Massive lanterns decorate the city in the shape of
dragons, elephants, cartoon characters, and people. Thais and tourists alike
pose in front of these colorful lanterns with big smiles on their faces and
fingers in the air in the universal peace sign. Thousands of lanterns hang in
parks, on city streets, and on temple gates as well.
Revelers set
lanterns into the sky from temples and on the banks of the Ping River, where
kids of all ages let off fireworks in all directions. The white tissue lanterns,
sold by monks and street vendors, unfold to wider than a person’s width and
nearly as tall. It takes two, but most seemed to prefer 4-5, people to ignite
and alight a lantern. Posing for photos with their lantern right as the lantern
casts an orange glow on their faces is a highlight for most groups.
The stars themselves have competition from the
beautiful lanterns filling the sky and temples bedecked with candles and lanterns
on the nights of Loy Krathong. The date
of the festival changes every year, as it coincides with the full moon in
November. I can’t imagine a more magical time to visit Chiang Mai.
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| The spots of light behind the white chedi are lanterns. |
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| Loy Krathong parade! |
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| Elephants are everywhere in Thailand. |
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| Fish ball vendor near giant lantern display |
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| Note the black and white cat sleeping at the bottom left. |
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| These lanterns were EVERYWHERE! |
