A big festival, where thousands of Khom Loi (sky lanterns) are floated in to the air during a Buddhist

ceremony, is held a few days ahead of the actual Loy Krathong/Yi Peng festival in San Sai district near
Maejo University, some 20 km north of Chiang Mai, Thailand. Apparently, this festival will be held on a
smaller scale on the 24th of October, 2009, again in San Sai municipality.
Loi Krathong[a] (Thai: , IPA: [lj kr to]) is a festival celebrated annually throughout Southwestern
Tai cultures (Thailand, Laos, Shan, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah and Xishuangbanna). The name could be
translated as "to float a basket", and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets,
which are then floated on a river.
Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditionalThai lunar calendar. In
the Western calendar this usually falls in November.
According to the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, Loi () means "to float", while Krathong() has various
meanings, one of which is "a basket to be floated on water in the Loi Krathong festival".[1] Several translations
of krathong are found, such as "floating crown", "floating boat", "floating decoration". The traditional krathong are
made from a slice of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made
of breador styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk
krathong are also biodegradable, but Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and
may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks,
and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits.
On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do
so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits.
Government offices, corporations and other organizations launch large decorated krathongs. There are
competitions for the best such krathong. A beauty contest is a regular feature and fireworks have become
common in recent years.
Loi Krathong is often claimed to have begun in the Sukhothai by a court lady named Nopphamat. However, it is
now known that the Nopphamat tale comes from a poem written in the early Bangkok period. [2] According to H.M.
King Rama IV, writing in 1863, it was aBrahmanical festival that was adapted by Thai Buddhists in Thailand to
honor Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama. The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's
floating symbolizes letting go of all one's hatred, anger, and defilements. People sometime cut their fingernails or
hair and place the clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of past transgressions and negative
thoughts. Many ordinary Thai use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha (Thai:
).
The beauty contests that accompany the festival are known as "Nopphamat Queen Contests". According to
legend, Nang Nopphamat (Thai: ; alternatively spelled as "Noppamas" or "Nopamas") was a consort of
the 13th century Sukhothai king Sri Indraditya (who is also known as Phra Ruang) and she had been the first to
float a decorated raft.[3] However, this is a new story which was invented during the first part of the 19th century.
There is no evidence that a Nang Nopphamat ever existed. Instead, it is a matter of fact that a woman of this
name was the leading character of a novel released at the end of the reign of King Rama III, around 1850 CE. Her
character was written as guidance for all women who wished to become civil servants.
Kelantan in Malaysia celebrates Loi Krathong similarly, especially in the Tumpat area. The ministry in charge of
tourism in Malaysia recognises it as an attraction for tourists. Many people visit the celebration each year.

Yi Peng
Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng (Thai: ). Yi means "two"
and peng means a "full moon day". Yi Peng refers to the full moon day in the second month according to the
Lanna lunar calendar (the twelfth month according to the Thai lunar calendar).[4]
Swarms of Lanna-style sky lanterns (khom loi (Thai: ), literally: "floating lanterns") are launched into the air
where they resemble large shoals of giant fluorescent jellyfish gracefully floating through the sky. The festival is
meant as a time for tham bun (Thai: ), to make merit. Khom loi are made from a thin fabric, such as rice
paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When the fuel cell is lit,
the resulting hot air is trapped inside the lantern and creates enough lift for the khom loi to float up into the sky.
Because they are a hazard to passing aircraft and "...can cause damage to important places in the areas such as
the Grand Palace [sic], temples and governmental offices,..." khom loi are increasingly subject to governmental
restrictions. In Bangkok in 2014, revellers are prohibited from launching floating lanterns in all event areas from
18:00 on 6 November to 05:00 the next day.[5] Violators may face execution or a life sentence or serve a lighter
sentence of 5 to 10 years in prison, if damages are minor. Offenders are also guilty of violating Section 232 of the
Criminal Code and that alone carries a sentence of 6 to 7 years in prison and a fine up to 1,000 to 14,000 baht.[6]
During the festival, people also decorate their houses, gardens, and temples with khom fai (Thai: ),
intricately shaped paper lanterns which take on different forms. Khom thue (Thai: ) are lanterns which are
carried around hanging from a stick, khom khwaen (Thai: ) are the hanging lanterns, and khom

pariwat (Thai: ), which are placed at temples and which revolve due to the heat of the candle inside.
The most elaborate Yi Peng celebrations can be seen in Chiang Mai,[7] the ancient capital of the former Lanna
kingdom, where now both Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are celebrated at the same time resulting in lights floating on
the waters, lights hanging from trees/buildings or standing on walls, and lights floating in the sky. The tradition
of Yi Peng was also adopted by certain parts of Laos during the 16th century.
YI PENG 2015 (LANTERN FESTIVAL)
The Festival of Lights is celebrated all around Thailand with Loi Krathongs (lotus-shaped receptacles) released on
water to bring luck and fulfill wishes. In Chiang Mai, the observation of the festival of lights, called Yi Peng, is
uniquely different. Instead of water vessel, Chiang Mai people release thousand of lighted lanterns in the sky
while making a wish. The sky transforms itself in a wonderful and surreal sea of little lanterns floating away. The
spectacle is mesmerizing.
The local celebration of Yi Peng in Chiang Mai is a religious ceremony in Thai language paying homage to the
Buddha. The exact date is not announced and is know only a few weeks in advance. A second lantern release
specially catered for foreign tourists is held usually one week after the traditional celebration for a fee of 100USD.
For the international Yi Peng, the ceremony is in English and the organizer provides lanterns, seating mat, dinner.
During the week end, many events will be held in the city of Chiang Mai: traditional Thai dance, Grand Yi Peng
Parade,beauty pageants, fireworks, decorations in the old city... Traditional Lanna dance featuring women with
long golden fingernails dancing in synchronized movements is one of the event to catch.