Festival of Water and Light
Thailand’s Laem Mae Phim
By: Michael Bedford - May 07, 2011
The winds off the Gulf of Siam flowed gentle and moist with the soft tropical air. The evening sunset was aglow with flame reds, streaks of yellows and emerging cobalt blue colors. The air filled with cries of young children wading in the surf, while watching parents picnicked at beach side tables.
As evening fell, people slowly grouped around launching candle-lit baskets into the sea and paper lanterns into sky of the darkening night. This was the celebration of Loy Krathong, traditionally performed on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, that usually falls in November. In Thai, "Loy" means "to float" and a "krathong" is traditionally is a raft-like form made from a section of banana tree trunk. A krathong is usually an elaborately-woven banana leaf boat, decorated with bright tropical flowers, devotional candles, and incense sticks. A coin is sometimes included as an offering to the water spirits. During the night of the full moon, Thais will float their krathong on the sea, a river, canal or a pond lake. Honoring the Buddha with the light (the candle on the woven raft or lantern) is an act of letting go of one's negative emotions, so one can start life afresh on a better foot. Many Thai believe that floating a raft brings good luck, and offers thanks to the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha.
To join this special celebration, my partner Sarah and I escaped from Bangkok's steamy unrelenting heat and traveled 3+ hours by bus to the small town of Laem Mae Phim, sitting on a peninsula where few foreigners go. The absence of high-rise tourist developments at the beach side town reminded me of Thailand of twenty years ago, before the onslaught of Western tourists, with only small bungalow hotels and beachfront open-air restaurants catering to Thais.
On the darkened beach, Thais prepared large lanterns, with a candle inside the rice paper lantern that were launched into the dark night. Using paraffin candles to raise the lanterns and also providing a warm white glow on the lantern, the dark beach sky was soon alight with scores, maybe hundreds, of huge white lanterns disappearing into the dark sky, while the sea had scores more of the candle-lit rafts sailing away. Thai families on the beach welcomed us coming up to watch the preparation and launching of the lanterns, answered our questions and allowed photos. This friendliness of the welcoming Thais to their celebration was most touching, and we moved from one lantern launch to another. Hours later, we elatedly ended up at a beach side open air restaurant, sharing a glass of rum, watching the hundreds of lights disappear into the black of the night, offering many thanks to this remarkable ceremony and the wonderful people we met