Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand

Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand

Loy Krathong is one of Thailand's national event. It takes place on the 12th-month full moon of Thai Lunar calendar. This year, the Loy Krathong day is Saturday, October 31, 2020.

What is the purpose of Loy Krathong festival? Because Thailand is an agricultural based country, the water is the main importance for the livings. During Loy Krathong festival, people gather around lakes, rivers, and canals to pay respects to the goddess of water - 'Kongka' by floating (or 'Loy' in Thai) the basket (aka 'Krathong') made of banana trunk decorated with flowers, banana leaves, candles and joss stick. Thai people always make a wish and then float their Krathong on the water.

While Loy Krathong is celebrated nationwide and there are plenty of places where you can go to celebrate the Loy Krathong festival, to make your trip most memorable and enjoyable, here are our recommendation for the places you should check out for the Loy Krathong.

1. Wat Saket (aka The Golden Mount temple)

Wat Saket is on the top of our list, not only because of its beauty, but also Loy Krathong festival is when the temple held its annual temple fair. At the base of the hill, there are many food vendors, games and rides. You will experience the local culture and the taste of Thailand. Then, going to the top, you will enjoy the fantastic view of Bangkok from the top of the hill. You can go to Wat Saket by taking BTS Sky train to National Stadium station, then take a taxi to the temple. Want to know more about Wat Saket, ask your ThaiSims personal assistant for more details.

2. Chulalongkorn University (aka Chula)

Located at the center of the Bangkok and with a few minutes walk from BTS make Chulalongkorn another popular spot for Loy Krathong festival. Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university and ranked as the best university in Thailand.It is also well-known for the annual event for Loy Krathong festival. There are concert, parade, and many food stalls. While the food might not be quite exotic as at Wat Saket, all the sellers here can speak English well. So, given its good location, easy-to-commute, plus English communication friendly, we highly recommend to go to Chula for Loy Krathong, especially if you happen to be in Siam Area. You can go to Chulalongkorn University by taking BTS Sky train to Siam station, then take a few minutes walk to the university. Google map can be really useful, searching for Chulalongkorn, then it will tell you how to walk from BTS to the university.

3. Chiang Mai

Loy Krathong is also known as 'the festival of lights'. In the north of Thailand, during Loy Krathong festival, people are releasing the lantern (aka 'Yi Peng') into the sky. And the most famous place for the releasing Yi Peng is Chiang Mai. The highlight is the view of numerous sky lanterns adorned with lights are released up into the sky. The Yi Peng is made of rice paper, stretched over a bamboo frame, with a candle attached. The hot air of the candle is trapped inside and makes the lantern fly up into the sky. There are two places in Chiang Mai that are authorized to host the Yi Peng festival i.e. Lanna Dhutanka Buddhist Center and the Cowboy Army Riding Club. At the festival, you can light up your own lantern and release it into the sky. Don't forget to share this beautiful and breath-taking moment with your family and friends thru your ThaiSims Pocket Wifi.