thailand’s night of lights
What better way to beat the blues than join in a celebration where you wash away your woes and watch them sail into the night? On 21 November this year Thailand will light up for Loy Krathong, the festival that pays respect to Mae Khongkha (Mother of Waters) by floating candles and incense sticks in banana leaf boats, or in some regions makes an offering to Lord Buddha by sending lanterns into the sky.
Whether it’s religious beliefs or the want to start afresh with renewed good luck that draws people to the events around the country, as Intrepid Express reader Molly Skoog discovered, it’s one of Thailand’s most magical nights…
“We were eating on the porch of a restaurant during the beautiful sunset, when just as the sky began to darken I saw a light floating across the horizon. Leaning out, I saw more and more lights drifting across the sky. We went to explore and to our delight found huge sky lanterns the size of full grown men. After being lit, they would slowly start to lift off the ground and were then released to drift along their chosen paths. It was as though the stars had come down to take part in these wonderful festivities.”
Tour Thailand with Intrepid on great trips like these:
Bangkok City Experience – 3 days
Southern Encounter – 11 days
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* photo by Ian McPhail – Intrepid Photography Competition
