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Loy Krathong: Full Moon and Krathongs Udomsak Boonyanurak from Thailand Photo: Sharon Schneider Flickr Creative Commons In the moonlight, people light the candles and joss sticks, make a wish and launch their Krathongs on canals, river or even small ponds.   Thailand has a lot of festivals. My favorite, Loy Krathong, is one of the most popular ones. In ancient times, Thailand was an agriculture country which had to use water to do agriculture. Thai people believe water is very important. So everyone has to respect the Goddess of water That is the reason to have this custom. Loy Krathong day is one of the most popular festivals of Thailand celebrated annually on the full-moon day of the twelfth lunar month. It takes place at a time when the weather is fine as the rainy season is over, and there is a high water level all over the country. Loy means to float and Krathong is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Krathong usually contains a candle, three joss sticks, some flowers and coins. In fact, people offer thanks to the Goddess of the water. The festival starts in the evening when there is a full moon in the sky. Everyone from all walks of life carries Krathongs to the nearby rivers. In the moonlight, people light the candles and joss sticks, make a wish and launch their Krathongs on canals, river or even small ponds. They let them drift away till they go out of sight. It is believed that the Krathongs carry away sins and bad luck. It is the time to be joyful and happy as the sufferings are floated away.  Return to: Holidays and Celebrations from Around the World | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine ©1997-2008 Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com