Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai

Filed under: Chiang Mai, Thailand Written by:Cindy Carroll.

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Loi Krathong is one of Thailand's most distinctive festivals, and Chiang Mai hosts the country's largest celebration. In November the sky is filled with paper lanterns and the rivers glow with the candlelight from thousands of small banana leaf boats.

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The lanterns and the krathongs of Loi Krathong are launched by thousands of festival-goers seeking good fortune. Parades, traditional dancing, and a beauty pageant added to the attractions of the cultural capital of Thailand's north bring Thai tourists to Chiang Mai from all over the country. The only rival to Chiang Mai is the Loi Krathong celebration at the ancient temple ruins of Sukhothai in central Thailand.

Loi Krathong 2007 is scheduled to happen on 23rd, 24th and 25th of November in Chiang Mai. At my first Loi Krathong nearly twenty years ago, I launched two krathongs onto the Ping river. Traditionally, each banana leaf boat must contain a flower, joss sticks, a lit candle, and a coin. You put all your troubles in the boat, and float them down the river, and away from you, was the story I had heard. Others told me to simply make a wish, and it would come true. I really needed two krathongs back then. This year I was content to buy just one.

Launching a paper lantern at Loi Krathong

The large paper lanterns, or khom loi, are driven into the sky by the heating and expanding air created by the flat waxy candle suspended in the middle of the bottom braces. On the way back from the final parade, I decided to buy and launch one. The vendor lit it, and bystanders helped me hold on until the hot air nearly forced it from my hands. Then it snapped upwards into the dark, joining the hundreds of other lanterns, rapidly becoming no more than an incandescent yellow spot in the sky, once again carrying away my problems.

I was told that the lanterns collectively produce enough light to represent a navigational hazard for aircraft, so they are launched only after the last flight in or out of Chiang Mai International Airport.

On two different nights, parades work their way along the east moat, cross to the Ping river, then along the river, past the flower market to the bridge, where one of the floats is launched. The first parade is known as the 'small parade', and the final one is the 'big parade'. 'Big' refers to the size of the floats, not the size of the parade itself. The closer the procession gets to the river, the more crowded it becomes. Besides being the terminus of the parade, the bridge is a prime krathong launching spot.

Tha Pae Road is a good place to watch and follow the floats, because the greatest mass of people will be at the river. You can book a table at one of the sidewalk restaurants to give yourself a good viewing spot. There are a couple of streetside foot massage places along this street. When your feet are about to give out, sit down for half an hour and give your arches a treat for about two US dollars. Food stalls are scattered along the route, with a major concentration of vendors set up along the river bank, near the flower market.

The usual speeches, traditional Thai dance performances, and the beauty pageant are held on the plaza near the Tha Pae gate. This is also a good place to send your lantern into the heavens. One part of the plaza is dedicated to food stalls, giving you another opportunity to eat or snack.

Prices of nearly everything will be raised for the festival, and you should reserve Chiang Mai hotel rooms in advance. You will probably be able to find a place to stay if you arrive at the peak of the festival, but you may not have much choice of room location, quality, or price. Although the Loi Krathong is a three day event, festivities actually start nearly a week before.

Loi Krathong, also called Yee Peng, is geared toward tourists, especially Thai tourists. It draws a lot of foreigners, but most attendees are Thais who have come to enjoy one of their premier festivals in one of their premier cities.

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Posted on November 18th, 2007.