BANGKOK, 7 November 2014 – Their Majesties the King and Queen yesterday joined the rest of the nation by sending royal krathongs for floating on the Chao Phraya, in celebration of the Loy Krathong Festival.
The royal krathongs were carried to the pier of Siriraj Hospital by one of the Grand Chamberlain, Mr. Distorn Vajarodaya, and his team before being released into the river. The royal krathongs were divided into two sets. Each set comprises two krathongs – the first one was made from white fresh flowers arranged in the form of a big blooming lotus, the other in yellow was made from bread, also in the shape of lotus and decorated with red roses, also made from bread.
Apart from Their Majesties’ krathongs, other members of the Royal Family also asked the Grand Chamberlain to launch their krathongs into the Chao Phraya.
Loy Krathong is one of the Thai annual festivals taking place on the full-moon day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar which is usually in November. The festival was dated back hundreds of years to the Sukhothai period. Some said it was a yearly offering to the goddess of water or the shedding of all sins and calamities that may befall one. Others said it was an act of worshipping to the Buddha’s footprint by the Nammatha River in India as well as to a great Arahant named Phra Uppakut. In Thailand, the festival is celebrated in all parts of the country.
