The celebration of Loy Krathong is not easily defined because it is comprised of so many differing aspects. It is in essence a festival in which the majority of the citizens in Thailand take part. The rivers and other various waterways are flooded with people on that special evening once a year of the full moon in November reinstating the notion that the annual celebration has a great impact on the small country every year. Loy Krathong however, is more than just a festival comprised of lights, streamers, and floating leaf cups, it is also is a deep rooted ritual that has taken place for centuries. It involves many symbolic elements and it celebrated publicly and formally each year. Many aspects of the Thai culture are incorporated in this November celebration. Thai culture has come a long way to become what it is today and even though many practices from ancient times are still instituted, they are none-the-less ever incorporated into the modern practices of the present day (Morely 1996). Loy Krathong is a celebration that integrates these previously discussed dimensions as well as a celebration rooted in the ancient worship of natural spirits paradoxically mixed with the various elements of Buddhism that have made their way into Thai culture over the last thousand years or so.

 

Buddhism which is now the leading religion in Thailand is a key aspect of everyday life for Thai people. It is only natural that such a tradition as the celebration of Loy Krathong, which has been going on for centuries and began as the worshipping of the river spirits, has now attained a Buddhist element to it as well (McLane 2004). “Buddhism is the state religion but in Thailand natural tolerance and a lack of doctrinal attitudes have resulted in syncretism . . . Thai Buddhism is practices in conjunction with a large number of ancient rituals and at the popular level is hopelessly entangled with animism and the worship of natural spirits ( Chu 1961).” The celebration and ritual of Loy Krathong is undoubtedly a religious celebration, it is however an enculturation of ancient Thai religious elements and more modern Buddhist ones.

 

Loy Krathong originated as an act of atonement to the river spirits for polluting the river over the past year as well as commencing the beginning of the harvest season. These aspects are still incorporated in the annual festival however the added elements of Buddhism that have evolved over the years such as concern with trying to improve oneself thus moving toward ultimate bliss are also to be emphasized. “Celebrating Buddhism cannot be separated from the traditional religious practices of the Thais, which is part of their Dharma ( Henderson 1971), or role in life – what a person must do in order to attain a higher aspect of self. Loy Krathong is in essence a ritual, in that it is formal, repetitive, and performed in sacred contexts (Turner and Turner 1982). It is a mass celebration involving social participation, symbols (the Loy Krathong itself and the pageant to Nophames) and it provides the Thais with a strong sense of communitas, bonding as a community. It is a celebration of atonement for ones sins over the past year and of hope for a better year to come. It is a celebration practiced by Thai people young and old alike, bringing them together are one large religious community. Loy Krathong is a time for all Thailand to come together as one and rejoice in unison as one great community ( Read MacDonald 1992). It is a festival that has more to do with the large community celebrating as one than the particulars of the Buddhist or Brahman ceremonies (Read MacDonald 1992). It provides those who partake in it with a strong sense of brotherhood and unity. It is a social celebration for all Thai people to come together and rejoice as one large national community.