Sriwittayapaknam School > English Homepage > Thai Culture at School > Loy Krathong

Loy Krathong is one of the most beautiful festivals in Thailand. It takes place towards the end of the year during the full moon of late October/November. Loy means 'float' in Thai. A krathong is a bowl usually made from banana leaves with the stem of the banana tree as it's base. The aim of the festival is to beg forgiveness from the Mother of Water for any pollution that may have been caused over the previous year. All of the students at the school make krathongs which they then float on local rivers in the evening with their families.

As you can see from these photos, the students make krathongs using different materials. The kindergarten students use a plastic bowl with paper leaves bought from a shop. All they have to do is glue everything together. In the picture on the left you can see a Primary 1 student that has used two empty fruit juice cartons as the base. Inside the krathongs they have put a candle and incense stick. The Primary 6 student on the right has made the leaves himself with a corrugated effect and stuck them onto a cardboard base.