By Mr.Tanut Yukerd

Loy Kratong? Loy Kratong is a festival for lovers. It depends on full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, the tide in the rivers is highest and the moon at its brightest, creating a romantic setting ideal for lovers.

The Thai people call it the 'Loy Kratong' festival, or the 'festival of light’. Loy Kratong is one of the two most recognized festivals in the country. 'Loy' means 'to float,' while 'kratong' refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water.

Origins Legends of Loy Kratong is the goddess of water 'Phra Mae Kongka' for having extensively used, and sometimes polluted, the water from the rivers and canals. It is also in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing water for the livelihood of the people.

The kratong was made of banana leaves or the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or an orchid. A kratong contains food, betel nuts, flowers, joss sticks, candle. The making of a kratong is much more creative these days as many more materials are available. (

How to make “Kratong” Cut the banana leave into narrow strips approx 4″x 6″ Shape the leave into triangles since they will form a coronet around the base of the kratong Fix triangles in place-staples or glue and should now have something a bit like a crown

Fill the centre of the base with more banana leave and fix in place Create your own unique design with the flowers you have purchased and fix in place Add some incense sticks (

The Loy Kratong ritual is a simple one. One needs only to light the candles and the joss sticks, make one's wishes and let it float away with the current of a river or a canal.

Environmental Issues Although Loy Kratong is an old Thai tradition, celebrated continuously since ancient times, the use of modern foam materials to make the kratong has taken its toll on the environment. Today, instead of synthetic foams, natural materials such as the original banana leaves or even bread have been used to make the floats. In addition, kratong are increasingly being released in small canals or swimming pools to prevent pollution in the rivers. In this way, the old tradition can still be preserved while our rivers and waterways remain in pristine condition for future generations.

Loy Kratong is one of Thailand celebrations that is interesting because it depends on full moon night, candles light to float tide into the river and firework on the sky creating a wonderful night. This year Loy Kratong day is 10 th November 2011, Have a blast in Thailand celebrations

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