It's the lantern festival, or Loy Krathong here in Thailand, something like our zhongqiujie back home. Though not a public holiday (boo), it's still quite a huge thing in Thailand. People buy floating lanterns like those on top, usually snip some hair or fingernails and place it with some money into the lantern before lighting, saying a prayer and letting it float off into the river. It's suppose to help them cleanse their sins, if I'm not wrong.So my Thai colleagues were horrified when they learnt that I was intending to head down the the Grand Palace area on Loy Krathong night cause, well, if you have ever seen Chinatown on Chinese New Year's eve, that's what it's like.
Other than that, the Thais also take the chance to light floating lanterns, illegal fireworks, etc. It's quite a big thing here.
vendors selling lanterns by the riverside
saying a prayer before releasing the lantern
lanterns afloat on the canals
a bazaar, with the Grand Palace in the distance on the left
balloon vendor
lighting a floating lantern in front of the Grand Palace
the occasional illegal fireworks
waiting for the floating lantern to collect hot air
I just realised I don't have any photos of floating lanterns actually floating, cause they drift off into a ghostly blur on camera, haha. But here's one I found online, taken in Sukhothai (the place I was in for the long weekend) where the Loy Krathong originated and is huuuuuge there.
badass floating lanterns
- joel, bangcock
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