Officials meet to discuss plans for this year’s Loy Krathong festival in Pattaya.
Pattaya is gearing up for its official Loy Krathong celebration, which will take place this year at Lanpho Public Park in Naklua Nov. 21.
Jintana Mansurin of the Pattaya Education Department assigned city workers various responsibilities for the celebration at an October meeting. The centerpiece of the day will be a krathong design competition, which will reward the floating platters of flowers, candles and incense that are the most beautiful and creative.
Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar, which generally falls in November. Traditionally, it’s a festival to pay homage to the goddess of water and a chance to float away the sins or the past year on a hand-made krathong.
In recent years, the holiday has evolved into a Thai version of Valentine’s Day, with couples making wishes for love and prosperity and launching their krathong into the sea together.
The city, hoping to cut down on the incredible pollution caused each year by plastic and foam krathongs, as well as plastic-bag balloons created to lift them into the skies, are stressing that all krathongs entered into the contest must be made of natural ingredients.
Those interested in entering the contest can contact the Education Department until Nov. 12 at 038-253-100 ext. 3327.
