OK, second post for today (check below for post about my new house). Wednesday this week was Loy Krathong, the Thai holiday where people float small boats made out of a section of a banana tree and decorated with various plants, flowers, and a candle. Loy means "to float" and Krathong is the Thai word for the little boats. Part of the symbolism of the holiday is letting go of your troubles and problems and "floating" them away, as the Krathongs are floated away.Teay came back to Uttaradit on Tuesday night, so we were able to do Loy Krathong activities together. We went to three different locations: first was at a lake/pond near Wat Prathaen Sila At (one of the most famous temples in Uttaradit), the second was a small location near another temple and at a faster/narrow portion of the Nan river, and the final was at a large public plaza area near my school called Rim Nam Nan.
We bought and floated a Krathong made out of corn husks (figured it was Kansas style!) at the first location. At the third, we released a paper hot-air balloon, called a Kom Loy. These originated in Chiang Mai and are now very popular with Loy Krathong -- you can see many of them floating up in the sky at any given time on Loy Krathong night.Here is a video of launching the Kom Loy:
And you can view the full gallery of photos HERE.
2 comments:
What a cool tradition! I like the cornhusk one. Maybe you could try a wheatweaving one?
I should share some pictures of our new house when we get a new camera. It's been a chore cleaning up the house, but it looks really nice now. It's only 30 minutes from the Kansas City airport, if you ever need a place to stay.
Your stories and photos really take me back to a time when I lived in Thailand! I am Thai and I think you capture the essence of what it's like to be there through your experiences very well. Bravo!
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