paper lantern | The (mis)adventures of a geologist lakwatsera

Loi Krathong is one of Thailand’s biggest annual festivals held every full moon of the 12th lunar month, which usually falls in November. Our gracious hosts from Chulalongkorn University organized our fieldwork to coincide with the event so that we were able to celebrate Loi Krathong in historic Sukhothai.

Wat Mahathat in Sukhothai

Majestic Sukhothai

Pre-festival celebrations

From its origins in Sukhothai, the Loi Krathong Festival spread throughout Thailand and even to Laos and Myanmar. The activities already started a few days before the main event and we were already caught up in the festive atmosphere even before reaching Sukhothai. In the smaller towns of Tak and Phitansulok, our evenings were kept busy with the night bazaar, parades and performances.

Hello Kitty lantern at the night bazaar

Beautiful girls in traditional costume were paraded in floats

The food stalls offered several unique delicacies, the most unforgettable of which are the deep-fried insects (which I did not try, heeding the warning of my Thai friend about sanitary issues). Our students tried it though, and I heard they were “crunchy” and “not bad”.

Fried roaches, anyone?

But I did try lighting a paper lantern with my colleagues. The stall owner helped us light our paper lantern before letting it float away into the sky.

Before releasing the lantern

We also bought the krathong (the decorative float used in the festival) from one of the many street vendors.

Krathong for sale

I lit the candle on my krathong and placed it on the water, letting the strong river current sweep it away. I was told that doing this is the Thai way of giving thanks to the river. After trying these local customs, I already felt part of the celebration.

Sukhothai and the festivities

On the day of the main event, we went to Sukhothai Historical Park in the afternoon to enjoy the festivities. But first, we explored the Wat Mahathat temple complex. I marveled at the numerous Buddha statues standing (mostly sitting, actually) proudly amidst the ruins.

Standing Buddha

I could only imagine the former glory of ancient Siam’s spiritual center as I look at the black-stained walls and the crumbling palace halls.

The setting sun also added to the air of mystery that I felt, or that’s just me being dramatic 😉

A monk at the Wat Mahathat

Just outside the Wat Mahathat, the celebration was in full swing. There were parades, numerous food stalls, and activity centers that offers anything from Thai massage (which I of course availed) to martial arts lessons and even beauty pageants.

The stalls were packed with people

There were really a lot of things to see and do, but the star of the festival are the krathong in all shapes and sizes. My favorite are those handmade krathong sold by local vendors along the water’s edge.

The ASEAN krathong float

There were the small and simple krathong, and then there was this

We bought one each and let it float with all the other krathong already in the water, which created a beautiful sight.

Setting my krathong on the water

Photos cannot do the beautiful view justice

While walking around the festival area, the speakers were playing the Loi Krathong song alternately in Thai and English, and the catchy melody was stuck in my head for a long time after, so I want to share it with you:

Light & Sound Show

In the evening, we bought tickets to watch the Light & Sound Show set up in the Wat Mahathat. The one-hour show featured the history of Sukhothai as Thailand’s first capital and the origin of the Loi Krathong festival, complete with narration as the actors sang, danced, prayed, and fought with fake swords.