Updates: Loy Krathong

(Translated folk song)
November full moon shines
Loy Krathong, loy Krathong
and the water's high in the river and local klong
Loy Krathong is here and everybody's full of cheer
We're together at the klong
Each one with his krathong
As we push away we pray
We can see a better day

Loy Krathong is a festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand. It is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. “Loi” means “to float”. “Krathong” is a raft traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk (although modern-day versions often use styrofoam), decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles, incense sticks.
The history of the festival is very obscure and probably originated in India as a Hindu festival similar to Divali as thanksgiving to the deity of the Ganges with floating lanterns for giving life throughout the year. In Thai rural areas it commemorates both the ending of the rainy season and the all important rice harvest.
According to the writings of H.M. King Rama IV in 1863, the festival was adapted by Buddhists in Thailand as a ceremony to honour the Lord Buddha. Apart from venerating the Buddha with light (the candle on the raft), the act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. People also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. Adding coins also brings fortune in money matters. Many Thai believe that floating a Krathong will create good luck, and this ritual is done to honor and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha. It is generally a romantic night where couples ask for blessings in their relationships.

We went to a lake in a nearby park and under the light of the full moon couples flocked to the water’s edge. After carefully selecting a lotus flower Krathong we lit the candle and incense sticks and placed a strand of our hair and a coin on it. Placing it into the dark murky water, we made a wish (not hard to guess what ours would be :-). The pond came to life with the flicker of candlelight and the musky odour of burning incense. It was a visually evocative and romantic experience with couples silhouetted against twinkling lights sending thoughts of love with their Krathongs as they floated silently into the moonbeams on the dark silky water.
Beautiful....