Thailand Lantern Festival 2017 - Yee Peng and Loy Krathong (Chiang Mai)

in travel •  7 years ago  (edited)

If you've been keeping up with my Steemit blog, you'll know that I'm currently living in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recently (on Nov 3rd and 4th) I experienced the magical festivals of Yee Peng and Loy Krathong. It was breathtaking and I wanted to share my experience with you.

Yee Peng Festival

The Yee Peng festival is celebrated on the first full moon of the 12th traditional Thai calendar. In the Western calendar, which usually falls in November.

Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of the former Lanna Kingdom, hosts a spectacular series of festivities with the most enchanting being the release of thousands of sky lanterns.

Some background from https://www.chiangmaitraveller.com/

In this festival, lighted Khom Loi (Lanna style sky lanterns) are released into the air through the course of the night. The act of releasing the lantern symbolizes letting go of all ills and misfortunes in the previous year, and Buddhists also believe that if you make a wish when you set off the lantern, it will come true (but only if you do good deeds the following year).

Check out this amazing 1st-hand experience (and a lantern catching fire mid-flight at the 56 sec mark)

Magical, isn't it? I had never experienced something like this before and honestly, I didn't know what to expect. Here's another video of my and my first lantern!! My cheeks literally hurt from all the smiling and I def got a bit emotional...

More pictures to set the moment.


Loy Krathong

Here's a little background, again from https://www.chiangmaitraveller.com/

Loy Krathong is a festival celebrated throughout Thailand with the festivities in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya being particularly well known. Thais use the festival to thank the goddess of water for providing life to the fields and forests and asks for forgiveness for polluting ways of the human.

Loosely translated, Loy Krathong means, “to float a basket”.
“Loy” means to float and a “Krathong” is a small handmade boat traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk. Modern-day versions often use styrofoam or bread which will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish.

Unfortunately it was very windy the night I went to the river to float my basket and all of the candles and incense were getting blown out. I couldn't capture any footage, but here's a pic of the types of baskets that are floated. All beautiful and amazing at only ~$1! I hoped to see an entire river lit with fire, but not this year.


The Parade

Walking back, I encountered a parade! Check out some of the floats and Thai locals in tradition dress.


...and to cap off the night, some Thai BBQ and a ride home in a Tuktuk!

I hope you enjoyed the journey and that you keep following your dreams. Don't just make a wish and hope it comes true, go out there and hustle for it. It's up to you. #buildFreedom

Until next time :)

-Ashe

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Hi, Just joined Steemit and also in Thailand. Do you have any resource or simple user tips you can link me to please ? As for your post, my fav festival of the year in Thailand, but not as much fun in Bangkok as it is in Chiang Mai. Best wishes mate :-)

just post about things which you are passionate about :)

What's good about Chiang Mai, this time of the year is that, if it is a more typical season, the heavy rains of the previous months should be abating into the dry season. Hopefully anyway if memory serves.

exactly! The rains are leaving and the weather is cooling. It's nearly perfect :)

Enjoys the cooler weather finally. It is glorious indeed!

vry cool post bro

lol ur not a bot but you sound like it.

@ashe-ro I lived in Thailand for over 9 months and have travelled there more than half a dozen times (mostly on work, twice for leisure). I can never get enough of the country. It's not just culturally rich an so alive, but Thai people are among the most congenial, warm hearted people I have come across anywhere (and their congeniality is just restricted to the rich white tourist, but anybody and everybody who lands on their shores). Thanks for the post!

Wow! I'd love to visit thailand someday. Keep posting! :)

will do, thanks for reading. I plan to have a temple day soon which should be amazing!

Oh!! :) I'd love to share to you my trips , too. :) :) looking forward for that. @ashe-oro

Calling @originalworks :)
img credz: pixabay.com
Nice, you got a 49.0% @minnowbooster upgoat, thanks to @ashe-oro
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The @OriginalWorks BETA V2 bot has upvoted(0.5%) and checked this post!
Some similarity seems to be present here:
http://www.chiangmai.bangkok.com/info/yee-peng-festival.htm
This is an early BETA version. If you cited this source, then ignore this message! Reply if you feel this is an error.

well I didn't see it there, but I cited the original source

wow beautiful! We have been to Chiang Mai before but never in November, I hope we will get to see this celebration next time we go

WOW...what a great experience.

I am on the way to Bali, but return to Thailand in december.
Heart a lot of good things about Chiang Mai.

Have a great day,
Thomas

Awh, I miss Chiang Mai!

If you had the time, take a bus ride to Pai. 3 hours, 182km, 762 turns! But once you're there, it's SUPER worth it!

Your knowledge of the distance and curves means that like me, you also bought the obligatory T-Shirt lol

......but not by bus. Hire a scooter in Chiang Mai and ride there taking your time to enjoy the scenery in the mountains. There are many places to explore en route and guest houses and homestays to spend a night before reaching Pai, possibly the most chilled out place on earth !

Haven't attempted on the scooter yet, but definitely it's in the plans. I usually go with my girlfriend and she hasn't learned how to ride a bike yet. Two adults with bags on a bike could be dangerous, though I've seen people done it. :)

yes, the bags are difficult...but perhaps not as dangerous as those deranged moron van drivers....either way, the destination makes the white knuckle journey worthwhile :-)

I read somewhere before that the drivers had made the pact for the afterlife, hence their death-defying driving attitudes, haha.

Beautiful pictures and interesting post. Now following you.

gracias!

I love lantern festivals. Here is a video I shot at a lantern festival outside of my hometown - https://steemit.com/travel/@liquidtravel/fires-in-the-sky.

Very nice your post

Wow. very very nice post. i like my lovle frined @ashe-oro

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A friend of my is at Chang Mai at the moment, beautiful! You must be lucky living there!

luck had nothing to do with it :P hardwork and hustle.

I think everything in life is based on luck. Of course you have to work for it, no doubt, but without luck, timing life would be different. I mean by luck is to recognize you are a lucky person to live a happy life the way you want to live, unfortunately it's not available for everybody ;).

luck or coincidence is a part of it, but it seems the harder you work, the luckier you get....I would add however, that I personally prefer humanity to hustle:-)

Love your post! Must have been a magical experience!
Following you now ;)
I just posted about my trip to Thailand as well @ryanne, you might like it ;)

upvoted! Great photos. Are you still in Thailand?

Great post and Great Pictures dude! I hope to be able to go to Thailand soon!

do it! it's amazing.

great city thailand

Thailands not a city !

haha, right?

Hi! I am a robot. I just upvoted you! I found similar content that readers might be interested in:
https://www.chiangmaitraveller.com/loy-krathong-yee-peng-lantern-festivals-2017/

good catch! I cited them in my post :)

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment
  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

low quality bot :/

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

wow nice

nice pictures

I love traveling and thailand is one of my favourite places to go.Keep posting pls ;p

thank you! It's an amazing country!

OMG it's just so beautiful...

so beautiful. It was amazing :)

Wow nice photography

thanks, but you are a bot :/

......but a hot bot ;-)

Great photos :) Seems like Lantern Festival was really a lot of fun. I need to go back to Thailand soon. I'm not sure how I will stand with stuff in life, but hopefully I could get back there for the next Lantern festival as it seems like something, that I definitely shouldnt't miss :P

Looks like a lot of fun! I love Thailand.

wow..42 votes earn 119$ super earn

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

image

Congratulations post you deserve our appreciation.

we will wait for a good post from you @ashe-oro

THANK YOU HAD SHARE TO OURS

Best wishes for you

haha "we will wait for a good post from you"

I love , very beautiful place Thailand I love Thailand and Bangkok Culture and I make plan to visit this country I like the peoples of Thailand.

best your post

what?

looks incredible! just been to Thailand a month ago so missed it )=

I am leaving Wednesday and heading to Thailand for two months, including a month in Chiang Mai. Your pictures make me wish I was there right now. I have followed you and look forward to seeing/hearing more about your time there. Cheers!

Amazing ambiance.. wished to participate in this.. I hope you enjoyed a lot..

it was simply beautiful :)

Very Good post
I love it !!
Thanks

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

Good stuff, that reminds me I need to edit my photos and videos. It was so amazing that I took a squillion images, so have been putting it off.

sky looks amazing with the lighting. hope you had a gr8 time

it was amazing!! Thanks for reading.