Loy Krathong

Loy" means to float, and "krathong" means a leaf cup. Loy Krathong is an act of remission to the goddess Mae Khongkha, the mother of water. This annual festival is held on the full moon day of the 12th lunar month.

Thailand's waterways, rivers and even hotel swimming pools are all ablaze with dazing lights on the evening of November 14, when the Kingdom celebrates "Loy Krathong" one of the year's most- awaited festivals. The festival is believed to have its beginnings in Sukhothai Province, north of Bangkok, almost 800 years ago. The floating objects you see during Loy Krathong nights are flowers formed like cups. It is the most colorful festival where Thai women are seen resplendent in colorful attire, hair festooned with flowers, and gaily- dressed men, also fully garbed, gather with floats in their hands wherever there's water.

The significance of the floating of krathong involves different beliefs. Most Thais believe the floating of the krathong is a yearly sloughing off of all the sins and calamities that have befallen a person. Some people apologize for polluting the water and promise to do better in the future. Whereas others believe that lovers can forecast the fortune of their romance by watching their krathong float downstream. Krathongs that remain together into the darkness, promise life- long partnership.

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Contact Information

Loy Krathong
Various Venues
84320 Koh Samui, ST

Tel. +6677422248

http://www.samui.org/festivals/