My Thailand Diary

Just came back from a walk down to the river with my kids. Its amazing how the darkness covers all the ugliness of the water. It looks beautiful with all the lights reflecting in the water, and the floats on them.

Loi Kratong has been observed for no less than 700 years since the Sukhothai period (1238-1438). According to a written account, Nopphamat, a lady of the Sukhothai Court, made the first Krathong in the shape of a lotus, and presented it to the king for the 3-day royal ceremony held to observe the festival.
The King was so much impressed by the exquisiteness of the Krathong and the gift of its maker that he praised the lady profusely and ordered that on future occasions lotus shaped Krathong be made after the fashion of Lady Nopphamat’s handiwork.
The word Loy means to float and Krathong means a receptacle traditionally made of banana leaf and used for holding food, flowers and other offerings.
So Loy Krathong simply means to float such vessels on water, filled with flowers, lighted candles and joss sticks.
This is done either as a thankful giving and worship to the Goddess of Water, or as a kind of homage paying to the legendary footprint the Buddha left on the bank of the River Narmada in India. Info from here