What Is Loy Krathong?
Loy Krathong is a popular festival celebrated in Thailand every year.
The festival lasts for three days with houses and temples beautifully
decorated.
Do you
know
where
Thailand
is?
What Is Loy Krathong?
Loy Krathong means to ‘float a basket’.
Beautiful baskets called krathongs float down rivers, canals
and ponds
at night.
Loy Krathong is celebrated every year, usually in November,
on the last night with a full moon.
Do you decorate your house for any
festivals?
Which is your favourite festival?
The Meaning of Loy Krathong
The krathongs are a way to say thank you to the river and to say
sorry
for all the pollution in the river.
Many Buddhists celebrate Loy Krathong. They like to think
about their lives and meditate whilst watching the krathongs
float away. It is also a way for people to let go of any sad or
angry feelings that they might be feeling. They let the bad
feelings float down the river.
Can you think of
any sad or angry
feelings that you
would like to let go
of?
What Is a Krathong?
A krathong is a small basket which floats on water. It is very
special.
It is wrapped in banana leaves. People put in a candle, flowers, a
coin and
incense sticks.
Launching a Krathong
When you put your krathong on the water, you make a wish.
There are also sky lanterns and fireworks in some parts of
Thailand for the Yi Peng festival.
People write wishes onto the sky lanterns as they watch them float
away.
What would you wish
for on your sky lantern?
Cleaning up after Loy
Krathong
In 2016, there were six tons of rubbish in Bangkok’s rivers after the festival.
In the past, the baskets were made from
bread or banana tree plants so they could
be eaten by fish in the river. They were
biodegradable.
Cleaning up after Loy
Krathong
Now some are made from plastic which takes a long time to break
down in the rivers and causes pollution. These plastic baskets are
now banned.
Many people have started to use natural baskets to help stop river
pollution.
Do you think it’s important
to ban plastic krathongs?
“Loi Krathong 2010 John Shedrick” by [John Shedrick] is licensed under CC BY 2.0
