Lantern Festival

Last week was one of the most famous festivals in Chiang Mai. Most people refer to it as the Lantern Festival, but really it is the combination of two Thai holidays: Loy Krathong and Yi Peng.

Floating krathongs on the Mae Ping

Loy Krathong is the "Festival of Lights", and is celebrated mainly by floating krathongs down a river or other large body of water. Krathongs are made of banana tree stems, banana leaves, candles, flowers, and other various materials. They can be simple or extravagant, and range in size from small to very large. E really wanted to float her own krathong, so we purchased one made by some teens to benefit a hill tribe school.

E purchasing her krathong

The area of the river where you could float the krathongs was PACKED, but E was brave and fought the crowd to put hers in the river. I went down with her to make sure it all went okay, and luckily there were two gentlemen who were actually placing the krathongs in the river. It was also a great spot from which to view the floating lanterns. E and I agreed that it was a good experience, but maybe we wouldn't do it again due to the large crowds. 😀

Crowd making their way to the river

Yi Peng celebrates the full moon of the second month (by the old Lanna kingdom calendar) by floating paper lanterns in the air. The lanterns are supposed to bring good luck, both to those who send it and to those who receive them after they've burnt out. If you've ever seen the movie Tangled, it's a very similar experience! E and B have been waiting to go to this ever since we told them we were moving to Thailand.

There is a bridge in the central part of Chiang Mai where most of the lanterns were sent up, which was right next to where we floated E's krathong. Needless to say, the crowd was overwhelming, so we opted to float our lantern a bit down the street, but still in the same general area. Our lantern was actually given to us by a sweet couple we saw after floating the krathong. They had two lanterns and offered one to us so we could enjoy it with our kids. So kind!

E and B getting ready to float the lantern

This year's celebration was toned down due to the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, but usually includes a parade and several big events. We ate some street food before floating the krathong and lantern; however those two events gave us enough excitement for the evening, so we didn't mind that the other events had been canceled. After we floated the lantern we got some ice cream to cool down (it's still in the 80s here every day) and headed to our car. We had parked on the top level of an open parking garage, so we watched the lanterns float there as well.

View from the parking garage

This was a highly-anticipated festival for our family, and it did not disappoint! We learned some lessons about when to arrive and how to navigate the crowds, so we are better-informed if we ever come back. The pictures don't really capture how magical it was to see all the lanterns floating. If you ever come to Thailand, add this to your must-see list!