When is floating lantern festival thailand 2018

To begin the festival, university students will light candles along the rivers surrounding the old town. The entire Ping River area and bridges around the old city are lit up with hundreds and hundreds of small candles. Much of the surrounding old wall in the original city is dilapidated, however the university students use these ruins to set up dedication sites, where visitors can leave a candle as a devotion to someone not able to be there or whatever they wish.

The tea lights are handed out for free, so feel free to ask some of the students for a candle and always be respectful of others who may be praying as they leave their devotional. During the 3 days of celebration there are many activities to enjoy. The majority of these events can be seen near the Office of Chiang Mai Municipality. The Thapae Gate, and entrance to the old city, is also a hot spot for many activities.

Here you can witness the Miss Yi Peng Pageants. Though not unlike typical beauty pageants, what is interesting is the traditional costumes, head pieces, and dance routines.

The Loy Krathong parade is a beautiful spectacle for all ages. Starting around sunset, many groups line up in traditional costumes with bands of flutes and drums blasting away fun and entertaining music. You will see gorgeous floats are made to look like Krathongs floating on the Ping river. It was amazing to see the unbelievable details and thousands of lights on each float. On one of the days there will be an official start of Loy Krathong. Throughout the day there will be plenty of activities going on.

Each one is made uniquely of a banana tree base and covered with banana leaves, decorations, incense sticks, and a candle. Once you find one that you like, make your way down along the banks of the Ping River. Be careful as it can be slippery on the mud and rocks along the Ping. When at the river, light the candle, take a moment to reflect. The modern history of Loy Krathong is that the lights that are floated down the rivers are meant to symbolize the drifting away of bad luck and misfortune.

However, for many Thai people it is also an opportunity to honor the goddess of water. So please remember to be respectful of the many others that will line the banks of the river with you.

Another option is to participate in the melee of people releasing from around the Nawarat bridge. They are essentially paper cylinders held together with light metal wiring. At the bottom there will be a metal ring of cotton that is soaked in kerosene.

At 9pm you are allowed to open up and then light your sky lanterns. It tends to take about two people to manage the balloon. When you feel that your balloon is filled with enough hot air and can float away, let go. You are supposed to make a wish for the new year while asking for forgiveness for the faults of the last year. Warnings : It is illegal to fly lanterns before the city has stopped air traffic for the night. Also, please note that these balloons are highly flammable, therefore it is recommended to be far away from tree lines, electrical areas, or other flammable sources.

Thai food is arguably some of the best food in the world and Chiang Mai is no exception! Whether its during the festival or not you will always find a great assortment of street food available for cheap.

What is unique is that these Thai chefs bring out their own little tables and set them up next to their booths so that you can join them for dinner. Just walk up to the booth, tell them what you want, sit down, and wait to be fed!

Around the main entrance to the city during the festival you will find countless booths selling skewers of meat, dumplings, mixed stir fry noodles and yes even sushi. You will also find a a small assortment of desserts like ice cream, sweet sticky rice, fried bananas, and small sweet cakes.

If at all possible we highly recommend you find and try Traditional Khao Soi. When you order it, you will get egg noodle spicy curry broth mixed with chicken. Then, add crunchy pickled veggies, sliced shallots and a lime for an amazing meal.

One of the interesting things is to watch them make and cut the rice noodles from scratch. There are a ton of fun and unique classes all around Chiang Mai that you can join. So whether you want to learn how to make normal Thai favorites, from pad thai to tom yum soup, or try some of the regional specialties, such as the khao soi soup, you will be in food heaven. The old city is beautiful and easy to navigate.

With the many temples and museums there is plenty there to keep someone occupied. Plus, a neat tidbit you will witness is that the original city was built within a wall surrounded by a small river or moat. Each are open to the public and nearly all are free to enter and explore. For centuries, Thai people have made a living through agriculture, so this festival is a way for locals to ask forgiveness to the water goddess for using resources and causing pollution.

Sometimes, locals place a coin in the float for good luck or some strands of hair and fingernail clippings as a symbol of letting go of misfortune, anger and grief.

It is believed the origins of Loi Krathong come from India. In fact, there are some similarities with the Indian holiday Deepavali, which is also celebrated between mid-October to mid-November every year.

Both festivals offer floating baskets to river deities to express gratitude, thankfulness, and the desire for forgiveness. Thai legend talks of a beautiful consort of the Sukhothai court named Nang Noppamus who was the daughter of a Brahmin priest.

As she was very clever and talented, she created the first krathong in the shape of a delicate lotus flower and presented it to King Ramhamhaeng who enthralled with the design, accepted the gift and set it in the water with a lit candle atop. These festivals are celebrated on the twelfth lunar month according to the Thai calendar on the full moon day.

Usually, this falls anywhere from mid-October to mid-November and lasts for a few days. Although the schedule is tentative and is subject to change with final announcement by July — August Reports after the festivals each year talk of massive water pollution as krathongs clog rivers and streams and lanterns start fires in protected environments.

Therefore, make sure your krathong is built from bio-degradable materials, such as old bread which will dissolve or be eaten by fish, or banana stalks.

Refrain from using plastic, Styrofoam, or paper krathongs. Likewise, please avoid using lanterns made with metal wires and paper. If participating in the festival, limit yourself to only one lantern and use biodegradable lanterns made from bamboo and rice paper. If you use a lantern with metal wires, animals can get injured and ecosystems polluted. There are many free lantern release events throughout the city. Tha Phae Gate and Nawarat Bridge on the Ping River are also popular places where locals and foreigners join in the festivities together.

If you want to get out of the city and experience lanterns rising out of the dark in the surrounding countryside try Doi Saket, about 30 km out of the city. This ceremony is hosted by the local government outside of downtown Chiang Mai on two different dates. You can revel in Loi Krathong wherever there is a body of water throughout Thailand this year on Oct 31 and November 01, Mundo Asia has taken the liberty to compile some of the best places throughout the country for you to enjoy this special ceremony.

We are sure wherever you choose to celebrate this beautiful holiday will bring you lasting memories and good fortune for the next year. We have prepare the ultimate guide for you:. Phuket is the ideal place to launch your misfortunes along with your krathongs right to the ocean. People gather together in the most popular beaches such as Patong, Kata and Karan Beaches to release their krathongs. If you want to visit the places mentioned above or other destinations in Thailand to experience the authentic Loy Krathong Festival, UME Travel can offer you our proffesional assistance.

Contact us and we can help you arrange a trip according to your requests. See these tours for inspiration:. These two Thailand tours both include Chiang Mai and Bangkok. If you come for Loy Krathong Festival, consider them! This tour will show you authentic Thailand culture and Thai locals real life. Also have some days on beach! Loy Krathong falls on the evening of the full moon date of 12th month of Thai Lunar calendar which is usually in November in western calendar. The exact date is different almost every year but it is always at the end of rainy season and the beginning of the dry season which is the best to time to visit Thailand.

The schedule is very similar each year, so you can take it for reference. Also displayed here booth demonstrating Lanna handicraft. In this great traditional festival, there are lots of celebration activities over all Thailand and especially in Chiang Mai, such as traditional Lanna dance performance, floating the candlelit Krathong down the river, fireworks display, and launching the paper Krathong lantern into the sky, Noppamas Beauty Contest etc.

Loy Krathong Festival is also a food feast. Delicious Thai dishes with some best wines will be fantastic. You will also find many food vendors along the streets, selling home cooked Thai food, green curry, pad thai, and papaya salad with various appearances.

Rice paper made floating lantern and banana leave made krathongs can be seen everywhere during Loy Krathong Festival. Do you know what is like and how to make it? Do you want to release one that made by yourself? Please read more information here:. Thailand Lantern Festival is quite magical.

Picture: Thai locals floating their Krathong basket and wish on the river. Here you can get more information: Ultimate guide of floating flower basket in Loy Krathong Festival - what's like and how to make Loy Krathong Festival and Yi Peng Festival coincide on the same day in North of Thailand celebrated simultaneously with Loy Krathong by the Lanna people especially in Chiang Mai.