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Loi
Kratong Festival 2004
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Like most Thai holidays (or most Thai days in general) Loi Kratong is a vehicle for
alcohol, firecrackers and immense quantities of food. But there are some
ceremonial aspects too. Kratongs are floating slabs of banana
tree trunk festooned with flowers, incense sticks, and candles. Each person
launches one into the water to wash away bad luck, adorning them with
coins, locks of hair and bits of fingernail (my additions of dried foot skin
and nose-pickings no doubt ensured an extra portion of godly consideration).
Lanterns are also lit and launched into the air. Those revellers whose vital facial features are left unmarred by the maniacal
use of fireworks are treated to the spectacle of thousands of luminous
kratongs drifting under the full moon.
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