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.
Loy Krathong this year falls on November 6.
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.
