A few pics from the Loi Krathong festival a couple weeks ago. Folks light candles on leaf boats and send them into the water with some money and a wish or two. We just made it to the periphery of the festivities at the main river in Bangkok, but we still saw a few boats running along the river (both the leaf kind and the neon party boat kind).
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The one time I was in Thailand was during Loi Krathong. I thought it was such a cool tradition, and it was so beautiful watching how what started as a trickle of people laying their tiny Krathongs (the candle boats) on the water would gradually become a huge stream of light floating downriver.
What I always wondered, though, but never asked since I wasn't sure if there was kind of a Santa Claus magic belief that the Krathongs go off to somewhere glorious, was "What happens to all the Krathongs"? I mean, Thailand has a lot of people. If we assume even a modest Thai to Krathong ratio, say 4 to 1, we're still talking about millions of Krathongs. That's enough to clog a river! And they're all floating somewhere, aren't they? Do they ever cause a problem as they flow and gather downriver? Were there ever historical "Krathong Wars" with neighboring kingdoms and countries that didn't appreciate the tradition, but got the Krathongs anyway?
One thing that was kind of funny about my Loi Krathong experience was that we had dinner in an area that had a pool. There were some paper and nylon-fabric figures floating in the pool, and there was a band playing for everyone eating. One thing I always loved in Thailand was that it seems like what I can only term "Sentimental Western Music" is the background music of choice. Always and everywhere. Well, the restaurant gave guests a Krathong and encouraged us to light it and set it afloat in the pool, and it wasn't long before the inevitable happened (remember the paper and nylon-fabric). There was a fire in the pool! One of the more surreal experiences of my life was watching two or three waiters jump, fully-clothed, into the pool to save the decorations, with everyone (even the rescuers) laughing heartily, all set to the musical stylings of "How Much Is That Doggy In The Window?".
And I'm spent......
well it's perhaps a bit less romantic, but many people put money in their krathong before they launch it. this means that there are people (often kids) who spend their time rounding up the krathongs downstream to collect the money. i think everyone seems ok with this, though - it seems like the good act one does in thailand is the point, not the complete end product. so launching the krathong shows the respect, what happens afterwards is not the point. they're all pretty biodegradable, though, so i think everyone is pretty satisfied there's not much environmental impact downstream, so to speak.
love the 'krathong on fire' story - wonderful time!
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