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FESTIVALS
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SONGKRAN New Years Water Festival
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LOI KRATONG
LIGHT FESTIVAL
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Thai people choose the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month to hold the 'Loy Kratong' (or Loi )festival, or the 'festival of light.' Loy Kratong is one of the two most recognized festivals in the country and is probably the most picturesque and beautiful of all Thai celebrations. 'Loy' literally means 'to float,' while 'kratong' refers to the lotus-shaped receptacle which can float on the water. Thousands of people gather beside the canals and rivers. With kratong in hands, they light the candle, silently make a wish, and carefully place their kratongs in the water and release them to the current.
Different legends surround the origins of Loy Kratong. The most popular version is it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess of water 'Phra Mae Kongka' for having extensively used, and sometimes polluted, the water from the rivers and canals. It is also in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing water for the livelihood of the people.
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Loy Kratongs are made in all sizes and "float" on the roads as well as rivers and lakes. Some even carry the Festivals Beauty Queens.
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Our staff shows off it's talents with Loy Kratong made of vegetables from our organic farm.
There are Loy Kratongs everywhere, some on the street for sale, being carried to tables for dispaly and finally with candles and incense buring , floating on the the river.
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Here in Ban Thaton a quiet village of around 1,500 becomes a place of celebration for the surrounding villages as well and attracts more than 3,000 visitors for the weekend.
Doorways and gates of temples and houses are decorated with banana trees, palms, and lit lanterns, completing a picture which evokes a magical aura.
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