Loy Krathong takes place on the full moon night of the
twelfth lunar month. The purpose is to
pay respect to the Goddess of the Water… showing gratitude on our plentiful use
of water and to ask for forgiveness in the ensuing pollution. So for all you
water pollution sinners out there… don’t worry, we paid the piper for you.
Me and Travis, along with a group of our Seaview friends and family, spent hours making our krathongs. A krathong is a circular floating object (we made our base from the heart of a banana tree) with decorations of banana leaves, flowers, a candle and sticks of incense.
We also added pieces of our hair and fingernails (just
clippings!) and small money—which are all traditional items to place in your
krathong.
Later in the evening, we headed down to the festival and
walked over to the ocean… lit our candles together and prayed to the water
spirits for good luck as we floated our Krathongs out into the water in hopes
of flying grief and ill fortune away.
