Loy Krathong And Yi Peng: Light Festivals In Chiang Mai
The best time to get to know Chiang Mai is during the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng celebration. Thus, in addition to visiting an important region of Thailand, you can enjoy a magical tradition of the country and the most special in this area.
These are two events that revolutionize Chiang Mai. Loy Krathong and Yi Peng fill the streets, rivers and even the sky with light at night. An impressive show in which locals invite tourists to participate. Therefore, you should not hesitate when it comes to being part of these beautiful customs.
But first, you must know what they consist of, when they are celebrated and how to prepare. With these simple tips you can travel to the most cultural region of northern Thailand and get to know it at the time of year when it shines more than ever.
When are Loy Krathong and Yi Peng celebrated?
Loy Krathong and Yi Peng agree on dates. The first festival takes place throughout Thailand on the full moon night of the twelfth month of the Thai calendar. In the West it corresponds to the month of November. For its part, the Yi Peng, more local, is also usually in November, although the exact day is not known until August.
Therefore, if you are going to travel to Chiang Mai to meet him during Loy Krathong and Yi Peng, it is best that you go a few days before to position yourself and organize your participation in these two traditions.
What are Loy Krathong and Yi Peng?
If you do not know the festivals of Loy Krathong and Yi Peng, you will surely wonder why they raise so much passion in Thailand, and especially in Chiang Mai. The truth is that when you know what they are, you will want to participate in them too.
First of all, Loy Krathong is the most anticipated holiday of the year by many Thais. It is celebrated throughout the country, so you can also enjoy the festival in other parts such as Bangkok, Ayutthaya or Chiang Rai.
Its origin is not entirely clear, but the main recipient is Buddha, although it is celebrated for other reasons as well. It consists of making an offering on the night of the full moon. To do this, a small raft is made, usually with banana wood. Its interior is decorated with colorful flowers, incense and lights.
It symbolizes the greeting to a stage full of good things. In this sense, some participants also include part of their own hair, or even their nails, in the raft as a farewell to what is left over in their lives.
The rafts are left in the river, where when several come together they create a fantastic scene full of light that makes Loy Krathong and Yi Peng unique. There are even much larger rafts created by administrations and companies.
Lanterns in the air
Of the Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festivals the most spectacular is the second. It is more local, since this tradition is more typical of China or Taiwan. In Thailand, Yi Peng is celebrated only in Chiang Mai.
After a Buddhist ceremony, the Thais release a kind of flying lamps that invade the sky and create a very emotional image. It is done at night, so thousands of small ships light up the dark sky.
These lamps are made of rice paper and bamboo and contain a candle or a source of fuel that makes the fire last. Thus, these elements do not stop rising as long as the fire is lit and, the moment it goes out, they fall. For this reason, lands are enabled to release them and that they fall without causing any danger.
During these festivals, light is the protagonist in Chiang Mai, but you can also enjoy other arts. For example, music and dance fill the streets during the days of these festivities.
