packed schedule of activities starting Nov. 21. One of the kingdom's oldest and best-preserved traditions, hundreds of thousands of ornate banana leaf floats ("krathong") containing lit candles and incense sticks are set adrift in waterways as the full moon begins to rise at dusk according to the Loi Krathong ritual. Fireworks displays, folk entertainment, stage dramas, songs and dance soon ensue.
"It is widely believed that these (krathong) are offerings made to Mae Khongkha, the Mother of Waters, in an act of appeasement. Many also believe that by setting adrift the krathong, one symbolically casts away one's grief, misery, and ill-fortunes," explains Samporn Maneemaitreejit, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).
In the capital city of Bangkok, Royal Rattanakosin Loi Krathong Festival's "Splendor on the River" will take place between Nov. 21 and 24 in front of the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall, which offers the best views of the festival's Illuminated Boat Procession.
Another popular spot to experience the festival is in Tak province, where traditional banana leaf floats are replaced with coconut shells, which are threaded together and launched simultaneously to appear as a long chain of glittering lights. Coined "Night of a Thousand Floating Lanterns," the Loi Krathong Sai Festival in Tak province will take place Nov. 23 to 27.
The Yi-peng Northern Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai province is celebrated with tubular lanterns resembling hot air balloons which are lit and released into the sky as an offering to Lord Buddha -- an act that conjures up the same sense of wistful closure as the krathong float downstream, according to TAT. This year the festival will take place Nov. 23 to 25.
Other favorite destinations to celebrate the festival of Loi Krathong include Thailand's ancient capital of Ayutthaya which this year will be held on Nov. 24.
More information on the events is available at www.tattpe.org.tw and www.tourismthailand.org.
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