Yes, I’ve fallen behind on my blogging... I blame all the
stuff going on, the fact I’ve decided to try going sans-internet in my
apartment, and the travelling. ANYWAY I feel I need to post about Loi Krathong
even though it happened Wednesday, November 28.
Loi Krathong is one of the bigger holidays in Thailand. It
occurs at on the first full moon of the twelfth lunar month, which is usually
around the end of November. Side note: Thailand is not just 12 hours ahead of
back home, it’s also 543 years ahead – the year is 2555. I’ve heard many
different explanations about what Loi Krathong is about: lonely planet says the
holiday is about giving thanks to the river goddess for the life she provides.
You are also supposed to pray for good luck in the upcoming year. There are
also other sayings about if you are in a relationship and whatnot.
For Loi Krathong, the Thais make little “rafts” called
krathongs, and set them off on rivers or various other water ways. They are
made with a slice of banana tree as a base, and are decorated with banana
leaves, flowers, candles, and incense. Some are more elaborate than others,
with many tiers and different ways of folding the leaves. You can either make
your krathong by hand, or buy some from various stands.
Krathongs for sale!
Anyway, on Loi Krathong day, my coordinator (who is also my
p4 co-teacher) said that the p4s were making krathongs at 2pm, and invited me
to join them. I was very excited to do so – I really wanted to make my own! One
of the students gave me a banana tree base, others let me use their banana
leaves and flowers. Many of the students’ krathongs were very nice – I have
learned that Thai kids love crafts and are quite good at them. Phi Tuk helped
me fold my leaves (re: folded most of them for me, as I was pretty
incompetent), and after a little while, I had a krathong. Yay! I was pretty
pleased with the way it turned out. Simple, but pretty.
After school, Anna and I went to the local shop by the
school – the lady, Tam, invited us to help her make krathongs. She was planning
to sell some at the celebration. So we went over, and made a few more
krathongs, some with quite elaborate leaf folding techniques. Tam’s niece and
aunt also joined us. They were very friendly, and it was fun to hang out with
some of the people in the neighbourhood.
Phra Pradaeng holds a very large Loi Krathong celebration on
the walkway beside the Chao Praya River. In the evening, the other foreign
teachers and I headed over to the river for the celebration. It was crazy! Full
of food stalls, krathong stands, merchandise vendors and LOTS of people. It was
super packed. We wandered for a bit, got some food, and looked around. There
were some very intricate krathongs on display from a contest earlier, a
traditional Thai music display, and some sort of beauty pageant that included
girls decked out in sparkly dresses and make-up dancing to Gangnam Style.
Eventually, we made our way to the river and set off our krathongs. It was a
nice moment, despite the crowds.
We wandered a bit more, then decided to head home. It was a
nice evening, and very cool to participate in the celebration!
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