Buddhist light festival shoos away bad luck in northern Thailand
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (RNS) — Yee Peng, or two full moons festival, is one of many lunar festivals held annually across Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
People light a sky lantern, or khom loy, to release along the Ping River during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong Festivals on Nov. 3, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
People light a sky lantern, or khom loy, to release along the Ping River during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 3, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Novice monks meditate during a special ceremony at Wat Phan Tao for the Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 5, 2017, in central Chiang Mai, Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Attendees take photos with lanterns during the opening ceremonies of the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 2, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Tens of thousands of sky lanterns, or khom loy, are released above the Ping River while floating lights, loy krathong, are offerings set in the river during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 3, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Locals and visitors watch performers on the opening night of the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 2, 2017, in northern Thailand. Stages were set up in the moat at gates of the old city in Chiang Mai. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Lanterns and people surround the Three Kings Monument during the opening night of the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 2, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Four sky lanterns, or khom loy, are tied together and released during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 4, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
People release sky lanterns, or khom loy, under the full moon from the Nawarat Bridge during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 3, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
A Japanese man bows at the Three Kings Monument, shadowed to the left, during the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 4, 2017, in northern Thailand. Hanging lanterns decorate the plaza behind him. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
Colorful hanging lanterns decorate the area in and around Wat Inthakhin Sadue Muang temple for the Chiang Mai Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 4, 2017, in northern Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
A monk leads a Buddhist service at the Wat Saen Fang temple during the Yee Peng and Loy Krathong festivals on Nov. 3, 2017, in Chiang Mai, Thailand. RNS photo by Kit Doyle
CHIANG MAI, Thailand (RNS) — Every year, full-moon festivals are held at locations across Thailand, Myanmar and Laos.
Yee Peng, or Two Full Moons festival, is one of them, and its celebration in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai features a variety of lights and lanterns: hanging, spinning and floating.
While the krathong, the decorated baskets that are floated down the river, are intended to symbolize the sending away of bad luck through Buddhist beliefs, many Thai people also consider it an offering to the river goddess, harking back to previous Brahmanic beliefs.
Many people in Chiang Mai host private ceremonies at their homes during the festival. There are also beauty contests, a large parade and performances that attract throngs of tourists from abroad.
Link copied!
No paywalls here. Thanks to you.
As an independent nonprofit, RNS believes everyone should have access to coverage of religion that is fair, thoughtful and inclusive. That's why you will never hit a paywall on our site; you can read all the stories and columns you want, free of charge (and we hope you read a lot of them!)
But, of course, producing this journalism carries a high cost, to support the reporters, editors, columnists, and the behind-the-scenes staff that keep this site up and running. That's why we ask that if you can, you consider becoming one of our donors. Any amount helps, and because we're a nonprofit, all of it goes to support our mission: To produce thoughtful, factual coverage of religion that helps you better understand the world. Thank you for reading and supporting RNS.
