Loi Krathong

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loi Krathong is a Buddhist festival held in Thailand in early November.  During the event, people light candles and incense and place them in boats made from bread or Styrofoam. They then float the boats down rivers and lakes, believing that their bad luck and mistakes float away with the currents. In Northern Thailand, people also celebrate with special lanterns. The lanterns are made with thin paper stretched around wire. Thais light candles in the bottom of them and wait for hot air to fill them and lift them into the sky. When the lanterns fly away, people believe they also take bad luck with them. During the festival, Buddhist monks perform special prayers and then people launch hundreds of lanterns at once. Visitors come to Thailand from around the world to watch.