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As Thai festivals go, Loy Krathong is probably the second most well-known and popular after the new year Songkran festivities. It is also arguably the most picturesque and romantic, filling waterways and skies up and down the country with floating krathong and lanterns.
For 2021 the exact date of the festival is to be confirmed (and sometimes this is only 1 month before). This article is based on 2020 and will be updated closer to the time for 2021.
Expique offers its own Loy Krathong activities, but in this article we share about the origins of the festival, and where should you celebrate it in Bangkok and across Thailand.
The History of Loy Krathong
Like many such festivals, there are several tales as to the history of Loy Krathong, which takes place on the night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, usually in late October / early November. While the most common story is that the festival originated in the era during which Sukhothai was the capital of what is now Thailand, other writings suggest that it came about in the early days of the Bangkok period as a way of honouring the Buddha. Small floating vessels known as krathong, released on rivers, lakes and ponds, contain a candle used to pay respect to the Buddha, while the floating nature of the krathong itself symbolises letting go of hatred and anger.
Certainly this is a theme of Loy Krathong that remains today – couples or families floating their krathong hope that, in so doing, they will wish away the bad things that have happened in the past year and usher in good fortune for the next year. For this reason, those celebrating Loy Krathong will often place a few fingernail or hair clippings on the krathong when they float it away. Another purpose to the Loy Krathong festival is to pay respect to the river spirits, and specifically Phra Mae Khongkha, the Goddess of Water, and therefore a few small coins are usually nestled into the krathong along with the nail and hair clippings.
Krathong are usually made from polystyrene or the more environmentally-friendly bread, which is biodegradable and in most cases eaten by fish anyway. Coconut shells are also used to produce krathong in certain parts of the country, while the traditional method was to use pieces of banana tree trunk. In the north of Thailand, and the culture capital Chiang Mai in particular, Loy Krathong coincides with – but is distinct from – Yi Peng, a festival of the northern Thai Lanna culture. On set days during Yi Peng, thousands of hot air lanterns are launched into the night sky and result in a spectacular view. Among popular spots to release these khom loi lanterns is Mae Jo University, near Chiang Mai, where a mass launching takes place a week or so before the nationwide Loy Krathong celebrations.
Where to Celebrate Loy Krathong
In 2020, there have been delays in confirming official activities as people are considering impact of COIVD-19. However, given Thailand is completely focused on domestic tourism there is proving to be a lot going on and many hotels are promoting heavily around Loy Krathong Staycations.
In addition, given this year Loy Krathong falls on Halloween, there is a divide as to whether places are doing Halloween or Loy Krathong. Apart from the bars who mainly have Halloween parties, there are many places doing family friendly Halloween activities during the day. Therefore it is quite feasible to celebrate both. Alternatively Expique is running a Halloween Tour on October 30.
Celebrating Loy Krathong Across Thailand
Sukhotai and Chiang Mai are both popular Loy Krathong destinations. This year the Yi Peng festival will take place in and around Chiang Mai on October 31 – November 1. There are lots of events that are organising mass lantern launches on October 31
Celebrating Loy Krathong in Bangkok
Bangkok is also a great place to celebrate the festival. The many ponds and other waterways in the city’s public parks usually become the focal point for friends, lovers and families to launch their krathong – watching the route that a krathong takes is a popular way for couples to predict what the future holds for their relationship. Some of the most popular parks to celebrate include Lumpini Park, Benjasiri, Benjakitti Park.
Several temples, especially those along the river have very traditional temple fairs with activities going on, and of course lots of food available!
This year The River Festival is confirmed to take place between October 29-31 with activities at 10 piers along the Chap Phraya river: Asiatique, IconSiam, Lhong1919, Yodpiman River Walk, Wat Prayoon, Wat Kalayanamit, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Tha Maharah, Wat Rakang. There is a free shuttle boat between all the venues.
Expique’s Loy Krathong Tuk Tuk Tour will stop at several of the above locations.
Celebrating Loy Krathong with Expique in Bangkok
Expique has a series of activities for Loy Krathong
- Expique will host a Krathong Making activity on October 31 from 4-7pm at The Market Experience in The Flower Market
- We will have a special Loy Krathong version of our award winning Bangkok Night Lights Tour which will include Krathong Making and take in many of the celebrations around Bangkok Old Town.
- Check our out special tour in Northern Thailand on Oct 31/ Nov 1 – Tuk Tuk Driving, Trekking and Loy Krathong (now fully booked)
Finally you may have noticed that this year Loy Krathong falls on the same day as Halloween. This year we will have a special Halloween Tour on October 30!
Now it’s time to learn the Loy Krathong Song
Loy Krathong Sukothai photo by Tourism Authority of Thailand; Yi Peng Mae Jo photo by Takeaway via Wikimedia Commons; all other photos by Chris Wotton.
More on Festivals and Public Holidays in Thailand
Please check out our guide to public holidays and festivals in Thailand. Please note that due to COVID-19 some of the date and activities are subject to change.
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Prior to COVID-19 our focus was on offering a range of experiences in Bangkok including our award winning Bangkok Night Lights Tuk Tuk Tour. These have now been temporarily suspended.
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