Loy Krathong this year
falls on November 6.
Urasin Khantaraphan
Pattaya has decided to consolidate its usual two Loy Krathong
celebrations into one grand event at Lan Poh Park in Naklua Nov. 6.
Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon said the celebration will feature
both a krathong competition and the Miss Noppamas pageant for young
girls, events previously held in separate venues at the Bali Hai pier
and in the Naklua park.
This year’s event, beginning at 6 p.m., not only brings those together,
but also features a country music concert, booths selling food and
drinks, and vendors selling locally made products.
The krathong contest will award prizes for the most-beautiful krathongs
in three categories: public, elementary and high school students.
A second contest will award prizes for the most-creative krathong. All
krathongs must be made from natural materials.
The winners will win cash and trophies from Pattaya city hall.
Interested participants can apply the Religion, Art and Culture
Promotion office or call 038-253-327 through today, Oct. 31.
The Miss Noppamas pageant will be limited to 20 girls ages nine and
under. Their family must be registered in Banglamung District and
contestants must be in good health. The winner will receive cash, a
trophy and sash from Pattaya. Registration for the contest closed Oct.
24.
Pattaya-area hotels also will be hosting their own Loy Krathong holiday
festivals, from the Dusit Thani Hotel in North Pattaya to the Royal
Cliff Hotels Group in Jomtien Beach.
A bit of history
According to the history written by King Mongkut in 1863, the
Loy Krathong festival has its roots in ancient Brahmin culture, going
back some 700 years. The spirits of the river were given offerings which
were sailed in the river in small boats (krathongs) and in this way the
owner of the krathong would gain absolution. This was a Brahmin belief.
The small boats fashioned by the beautiful and talented Nang Noppamas,
the daughter of a Brahmin priest and wife of King Phra Ruang, were
notable for their construction and beauty. It was this king who then
dedicated the krathong to the memory of the Buddha, and decreed that the
event would be called Loy Krathong and that it should become an annual
celebration to commemorate the skill and beauty of his consort. In this
way he lifted it out of Brahmin culture and installed it into the
accepted Buddhist way of life. This is the reason that the krathongs now
carry three incense sticks representing the Buddha, the Dharma and the
Sangha.
During the Loy Krathong Festival, people decorate their krathong with
flowers, joss sticks and candles which will then sail away, taking with
them bad health, bad luck and unhappiness.
Lanterns are well-known symbols in the Loy Krathong Festival, too, being
used to decorate houses and temples in worship of the guardian spirits.
There are four kinds of lantern used in the festival: the hand-held
rabbit lantern, the hot air balloon lantern (kom loy), the hanging
lantern for religious worship, and the spin lantern installed at the
temples. The belief in lanterns is that the lights inside compare with
the wisdom the people will gain in the next life.
This Thursday, invite your girlfriend, boyfriend, family members and/or
significant other to buy or create a krathong, then visit the nearest
seashore, lake or river and float away your worries.
