Loy Krathong 1983

Small leaf boats with a candle are set on the water on the full moon.

Loy Krathong is a Thai festival celebrated around the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar. Families and communities prepare small floating krathongs, often using folded banana leaves, flowers, candles and incense, and set them on waterways where permitted. Many people offer thanks to water and ask forgiveness for polluting or using it carelessly, sometimes invoking Phra Mae Khongkha, a personification of the river. Releasing a krathong may also symbolize letting go of anger or misfortune, although the meanings vary among participants.

Several origin stories circulate, including a tale of Nang Noppamas, a woman at the Sukhothai court who supposedly fashioned a beautiful floating offering. Historians do not treat this story as an independently verified account of the festival's invention. Water offerings, Buddhist merit-making, seasonal festivities and later public celebrations have contributed to different local customs. In northern Thailand, Chiang Mai's Yi Peng lantern traditions may coincide with Loy Krathong but have their own Lanna history and regulations.

The celebration follows the Thai lunar calendar and does not have a permanent Gregorian date. Modern municipalities increasingly encourage environmentally responsible participation: use locally permitted materials, avoid foam and plastics, do not release floating litter into sensitive waterways, and obey restrictions on sky lanterns and flames. The festival's meaning is better expressed by respect for water than by creating pollution.

Thai expression of gratitude and apology to water, release of ill feeling and respect for waterways.

Where permitted, float biodegradable krathongs with flowers and candles; obey water-protection and fire-safety rules and avoid litter.

Thailand on the full moon of the twelfth Thai lunar month; Chiang Mai's Yi Peng is a related but distinct Lanna festival with local lantern rules.