MAGICAL MOON FESTIVALS: THAILAND
Perhaps the most beautiful way to celebrate the beauty of the autumnal moon is at the festivals Loi Krathong and Yi Peng. They holidays both occur on the full moon of November, each creating a breathtaking spectacle, with beautiful lights filling the air, rising up to the sky, floating and reflecting in the rivers.
Both lunar festivals are full of joy as they serve as a time to kiss the worst of the past year goodbye and welcome the new year with a clean slate and a hopeful heart.
The light of the November full moon competes with thousands of lit lanterns, candles, fireworks and religious objects. The total effect is magical!
The festivals originated centuries ago, as spiritual events marking the seasonal transition in Thailand, as days get shorter, nights get longer, and light becomes more precious. Many of the traditions are carried through today, along with some modern touches.
Many non-Thai people confuse the two holidays, mixing up their names, as you will see in Photo captions below. You can tell the difference because Loi Krathong features special candles floating in rivers, while Yi Peng features flaming lanterns floating in the sky. Learn more about these beautiful moon fests below.
Loi Krathong, known as the “Thai Festival of Lights,” takes place this year November 2 - 4. Colorful floats, called “krathongs,” carry lit candles, flowers, and leaves, down rivers and waterways to show gratitude to the river goddess Pra Mae Khongkha.
Krathongs were traditionally made from pieces of banana trunk or banana leaves, but today most krathongs are made from bread, so the fish get to eat them after the festivities are over and the floats disintegrate in the rivers.
When people set their krathongs afloat, they feel as though all the past year’s regrets have been washed away, with hopes for sins to be forgiven and wishes for good things to come. Some people add coins to the krathong as an omen for wealth and good luck.
Put Loi Krathong in Thailand on your bucket list! Several cities offer full-blown festivities. Sukhothai, a city in central Thailand, celebrates Loi Krathong for 5 days. Chiang Mai, and Bangkok, which boasts many ponds and waterways, are also fabulous places to experience this beautiful festival. You can purchase a krathong from street vendors all around Thailand.
The Loi Krathong festivities continue with parades, boat races, and music performances.
Another highlight is the Noppamas Beauty Contest, held in honor of the legend of Nang Noppamas, a beautiful consort of the king of Sukhothai, who was the first person to float a krathong.
The festival is also celebrated in Laos and Myanmar, where it is known as Tazaungdaing.
Take a river tour and stay at a riverside hotel to get the best views.
Yi Peng, celebrated only in Northern Thailand, originated around 700 years ago in the Lanna Kingdom. Since then, Buddhists have adopted the ceremony as a way honor Prince Siddhartha Gautama—the Buddha.
Though monks and temples play a central role in the ceremony, the magnificent tradition is embraced by all.
On Yi Peng, watch and be mesmerized as thousands of fire-powered paper lanterns are launched into the air. The sky looks like it’s full of burning stars. Firework displays make the vision even more spectacular.
The beautiful sky lanterns, known as “khom loi,” are made from thin rice paper. It’s biodegradable so there’s no problem when the lanterns land back on the ground. You can choose to write a message, a prayer, or a wish for good luck on your lantern before releasing it to the sky. Many believe that if you make a wish as you release your own lantern, it will come true.
Khom loi are the most iconic lanterns of the festival, but other types of lanterns include: “khom kwaen,” a hanging lantern, “khom thuea,” a carrying lantern, and “khom paad,” a revolving lantern.
At some temples, monks send giant lanterns into the sky, sometimes with firecrackers attached to the base.
Similar to Loi Krathong, Yi Peng represents spiritual cleansing and new beginnings. Monks recite special prayers and meditations before and during the lantern ritual.
The most magnificent display, a mass lantern release, can be seen at the Yi Peng event at Mae Jo University, on November 3. You can also stand on the Nawarat Bridge above the Ping River for a phenomenal view of the krathongs and kohn loi lighting up the world together.
If you are interested in learning more about the Loi Krathong and Yi Peng celebrations this year, check out a full schedule of the events in Chiang Mai here.
So if you want to make November’s full moon an even more beautiful experience, put Loi Krathong and Yi Peng in Thailand on your travel bucket list now!
See more stories about beautiful moons: Rare Beauty: Harvest Moon and The Power & Beauty of Moons and more on BeautifulNow.
Read more about November Treasures all this week on BeautifulNow in November Travel Treasure: Patagonia and Autumn Mind & Body Treasures. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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