Thailand's loveliest festival is celebrated nationwide on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, normally in mid-November. The festival is particularly picturesque amid the ruins of Sukhothai's Historical Park, where the event becomes a 3-day affair of parades, beauty pageants, homage-paying and folk entertainment. Loy Krathong is believed to have originated in the royal court of Sukhothai some 700 years ago. Beneath the full moon, people from all walks of life gather to float away onto the water, small banana leaf boats bearing flowers, lighted incense, a lighted candle and a small coin to honour the water spirits ... and thus, float away the previous year's misfortunes. "Loy" means "to float" and "Krathong" means a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. People offer thanks to the Goddess of water. By moonlight, people light the candles and joss-sticks, make a wish and launch their Krathong on canals, rivers or even small ponds. It is believed that the Krathongs carry away sins and bad luck, marking a time to start the coming new year - a time to be joyful and happy, as suffering is floated away. For a largely agrarian society like Thailand, where rice remains the biggest export, the “water of life” is a prosaic reality. The festival of Loy Krathong was purpose-built to pay homage to the source of the Kingdom’s prosperity, as well as the Water Goddess. Before they place the Krathong on the water, there is also a beauty Queen contest. "The Noppamas Queen Contest" refers to Noppamas, a legendary figure from Sukhothai. It was said that "Noppamas" was a chief royal consort of a Sukhothai King named "Lhe-Thai". She may be the first person who invented and decorated a Krathong in Thailand. The king was highly delighted with the sight, and ordered it should occur annually in honour of the wise and beautiful Nopamas. He entreated the spirits of the river to take possession of the hearts and minds of all his subjects at this season of the year, and compelled them to hold a great festival, which he named "Loy Krathong". For seven hundred years the ceremony has existed, but its details have changed with each succeeding generation. A few years after its initiation, the king ceased his visitation to all temples that were not near at hand, and all the fireworks that used to be let off on his arrival were brought together to make a gorgeous display at the palace landing. The king sat on a throne to watch the general amusement, and then sent adrift one or more Krathongs. Today, with its dramatic backdrop of religious ruins, gilded by a full moon, Sukhothai’s Historical Park is the most atmospheric place to take in Loy Krathong. The festival comes with a spectacular light-and-sound show held among the preserved ruins in the ancient setting of the Sukhothai Historical Park.  Another feature of Loy Krathing are the dozens of hot air balloons made of rice paper called 'khom loy' (floating lanterns) that drift into the night sky. These large balloon-like lanterns are released at temples and sometimes from private homes in the hope that misfortune flies away with them. Loy Krathong is a national holiday and is celebrated in similar and different ways all across the country, with elaborate parades in cities, towns and villages. To the north of Sukhothai in Chiang Mai, the balloons are part of the Peng Northern Lantern Festival. Covered with colored paper, and containing a terra cotta lamp, the balloons pockmark the sky at night, rising and rising until they resemble floating stars. Loy Krathing provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to gather and exchange gossip and news, sell souvenirs and crafts, and offer participants and visitors alike an unending variety of snacks and local cuisine. During Loy Krathong, there may be as many pheromones in the air as there are 'dok mai fai' (“fire flowers”) because Loy Krathong is a kind of Siamese Valentine’s night for lovers and spouses. According to an age-old belief, when a couple goes to launch their Krathongs, if the two float away together it means they will stay together for a long time. If one of them immediately capsizes, well, it’s probably not the best time to open a joint checking account. Meanwhile, out in the rice-paddy hinterlands, unattached teenagers, longing for some affection, will kneel down by the water’s edge and pray for a partner in romance. If you anticipate attending the Loy Krathong Festival in Sukhothai, please contact us for the dates of the festival. You might want to book early since hotel rooms in the area fill up quickly. Top HOME I LOCATION I ROOMS I FACILITIES I RESERVATIONS I CONTACT I LINKS I COPYRIGHT SUKHOTHAI HISTORICAL PARK I SI SATCHANALAI HISTORICAL PARK I LOI KRATHONG FESTIVAL I ARTS & CRAFTS