Loy Krathong

Loi Krathong
Floating krathong in Chiang Mai
Official name	Loi Krathong or Loy Krathong (ลอยกระทง)
Observed by	Thailand, Laos, northern Malaysia, Shan in Myanmar and Xishuangbanna in China, Myanmar (as Tazaungdaing festival), Sri Lanka (as Il Poya), Cambodia (as Bon Om Touk)
Type	Asian
Date	Full moon of the 12th Thai month
2016 date	November 14
2017 date	November 3
2018 date	November 23
Frequency	annual
Related to	Tazaungdaing festival (in Myanmar), Il Poya (in Sri Lanka), Bon Om Touk (in Cambodia)

Loi Krathong (Thai: ลอยกระทง, pronounced [lɔ̄ːj krā.tʰōŋ]) is a festival celebrated annually throughout southwestern Tai cultures, (Thailand, Laos, Shan, Tanintharyi, Kelantan, Kedah and Xishuangbanna). The name could be translated as "to float a basket", and comes from the tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river.

Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar; hence, the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November. In 2015 it was celebrated on November 25th; in 2016 it was celebrated on November 14th.

The festival is celebrated under different names in other Asian countries including, Myanmar as the "Tazaungdaing festival", Sri Lanka as "Il Full Moon Poya" and Cambodia as "Bon Om Touk".

According to the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, loi (ลอย) means "to float", while krathong (กระทง) has various meanings, one of which is "a small container made of leaves which to be floated on water during the Loi Krathong festival".Krathong is traditionally small leaf container which are made to hold small portion of goods. Which, generally, are some kind very traditional Thai dish, such as "Hor Mok", and some Thai traditional dessert. The traditional krathong for floating at the festival are made from a slice of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or Styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits.