Loi Kratong Festival

Hey folks: I realize Rachel and I haven't (quite) lived up to the "new postings daily" commitment, but I wanted to get some images up to let you know we're still here. The pics below are from the Loi Kratong Festival, a three-day festival held throughout Thailand each year, generally in November. The festival marks a few different things, including letting go of one's grudges and giving thanks to the Goddess of Water. It's also an occasion to set off as many fireworks as conceivably possible, sometimes in the middle of large crowds of people. That part is a little nerve-wracking.

This is a floating lantern called a "khom fai" (please correct me if I have the spelling wrong). It's basically a flaming chunk of banana tree (I think) connected to a thin paper lantern - basically a mini-hot air balloon. During Loi Kratong festival-goers launch thousands of these into the sky. I'll try to post some better pics when I have a chance - seeing them all at once is a pretty amazing sight.

Another part of Loi Kratong: beauty pageants and floats. Some of the floats are sponsored by companies and government agencies and are actually anchored in the Ping River nearby for judging. The floats actually...float. Anyway, the pic above is from the two-day parade to show off all the floats and various beauty pageant winners.

This guy (from a Japanese-themed float) is posing as some kind of devil-guy. Not a pageant winner, but still a cool shot.

We'll be posting more soon, specifically with some info on our volunteer work here in Chiang Mai. Check back soon!