Loy Krathong and Yi Peng
Posted in Alex's Blog on December 12, 2010
Pandemonium, the streets were brimming with ecstatic faces and alive with color. A parade of floats, decorated trucks, marching children, banners, and music forces its way through the entwined crowd. Thousands of voices exclaim their amazement in numerous foreign tongues. Brightly colored lanterns are hanging from trees, shop awnings and street stalls. Golden candles line every wall and path. Explosions ring out from all over the city as fireworks illuminate the night’s sky in shimmering blasts. Lanterns burning bright orange drift towards the black sky from every corner of the city, carried on calm winds high above the dazzled crowds, they flow in and out of brilliant new constellations. Groups of friends, families and lovers turn their faces upward, similar expressions of wonder and amazement cover each one. The atmosphere is life and life is thriving.
Chiang Mai was alive. I wandered along the coursing streets in a daze. I was due to meet friends at opposite ends of the city but couldn’t shake the need to absorb everything that was going on about me first. I heard music, not the traditional type that was bellowing from the parade, something different, something softer. It was coming from behind one of the walls that lined the festive street, it was calling out. I cut my way through the dense crowd towards its source. I passed through a short break in the wall leading into a courtyard and all together different world.
The wall that surrounded the small courtyard completely cut out the mania of the streets on its other side. Melodic trance flowed from a DJ set up on a table by the wall. A projector had been set up, it was connected to a camera outside on the street that recorded the bustling crowd. The video was projected onto the wall essentially forming a window through the white wall and into the crowd. Yet the street seemed a million miles away.
I walked onto the grass removed my bag took of my shoes and reclined. I stared fascinated at the expanse of sky above me, dozens of lanterns floated toward the full moon, each one a brilliant orange beacon, some releasing long trails of sparks beneath them giving the effect of a shooting star or comet. As they rose higher they flowed loosely into a gentle current of air that carried them toward Doi Suthep. Harmonic music, the whole time perfectly capturing and intensifying the moment. I lay engrossed, I lay captivated, I lay in awe. This is life I thought, and its is for moments like this that we live. Moments so overwhelmingly beautiful and awakening that they drown out thoughts of anything but the present.
Sometime later the music finished, I was very late in meeting my friends.
Loi Krathong is a festival held on the full moon of the 12th month according to the Thai lunar calender. Loi means to float and a Krathong is a decorated float.The Krathong are decorated with elaborately folded leafs as well as candles, incense sticks and flowers.The festival is for people to apologize to spirits of the river. This is done by floating Krathong on any body of water.
Yi Peng is a traditional Lanna festival. Lanna refers to the culture of northern Thailand. The event coincides with Loi Krathong and is meant as a time to make merit. It involves the release of thousands of Khom loi-lanterns, into the sky. A fire is lit under the rice paper lantern which then fills with hot air and floats into the sky. The lanterns release is supposed to symbolize letting go of your troubles or bad luck. Outside of Chiang Mai the largest simultaneous release of khom loi takes place, it is like nothing else you will ever see.
Thanks Nathan and Google for the pictures!
