Loy Krathong : Isaan
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Greenery for the krathong is fashioned from banana leaves. The yellow pods seen here in this krathong from Sisaket are silkworm cocoons. The red accents were created from cut and folded flower petals.
Another krathong from Sisaket
As at any Thai celebration, street-food vendors set up shop to accommodate the hungry who come to the Loy Krathong festivals.
Parade participants from Sisaket who will also dance on stage in the evening
The festival is popular among the children, who look forward with much anticipation to launching their krathong on the water.
As darkness falls, thousands of krathong are launched on waters throughout the entire country.
Some festival-goers release small fish into the water as a means of making merit.
The spectacle of hundreds of krathong afloat on the water can be quite enchanting.
A prayer is usually offered before each krathong is launched.
A view of some of the large floats created for the competition in Sisaket
Loy Krathong festivalLoy Krathong IsaanLoy Krathong festival floats
So-called "floating lanterns" are often lighted and released into the air, though they can end up being a hazard to airplanes.
Many of the large-scale krathong at the festivals mine the rich resources of Thailand's past for inspiration and subject matter. Here, the snakelike creatures near the top of this float derive from ancient Khmer naga—and ultimately from Hindu and even earlier animist cults.
Loy Krathong festivalLoy Krathong IsaanLoy Krathong festival floats
This float featured the Garuda, another creature from ancient Hindu and Khmer origins that is also Thailand's national symbol today.
Loy Krathong festivalLoy Krathong IsaanLoy Krathong festival floats
More naga, fashioned from banana leaves, encircle this rather stunning float from Rasi Salai.
Loy Krathong festivalLoy Krathong IsaanLoy Krathong festival floats
This float was inspired by Supphanahongsa, the royal barge commissioned by Rama I soon after his ascent to the throne in 1782. (Its present incarnation can be seen in the "Royal Barges Procession" gallery on this site.)
Loy Krathong festivalLoy Krathong IsaanLoy Krathong festival floats
As with many Thai celebrations, there is a beauty contest, and a queen is chosen, at each Loy Krathong festival. These young women were from Rasi Salai.
The municipal hall where the nighttime festivities occur in Sisaket: a contemporary interpretation of ancient Khmer temple architecture
