Skip to content
Menu
Travel Tales from India and Abroad
Travel Tales from India and Abroad
Loi Krathong Celebrations

Loi Krathong Festival

Posted on November 18, 2013May 9, 2021

To me Loi Krathong festival looked like a festival of light and water. Like many other things in Asia there are many versions of what the festival means and how it started. One version is that it was started in the region of Sukhothai by a court lady called Nopphamat. Another version puts it as a Hindu festival later adapted by Buddhists. Yet another version says it is celebrated by people of Thailand as gratitude to the River Goddess. In true Asian spirits all these Loi Krathong  histories can co-exist rather than contradict each-other.

The beautiful float you see in the picture is known as Krathong. Loi I am told, means to float. I attended the Loi Krathong Festival at Dusit Deverana, New Delhi (a new hotel) yesterday night. The festival started with dance performances from Thailand that were as usual colorful and graceful. I should have guessed it would be an outdoor event as it involved water. But I did not and I was wearing a sleeveless top. I had the sense to take a shawl though so I managed fine in the end!

Dancers
Dances from Thailand

However, I was so engrossed in clicking pictures and enjoying the dances that I forgot the cold very soon. I liked the coconut shell dances the best for its foot tapping music and rhythm. It was so fast that in the night I did not manage to click one decent picture of it but I guess the video is better which I will upload soon.

The Ambassador of Thailand to India
The Ambassador of Thailand to India

After this the Ambassador of Thailand to India gave a short speech. In his speech he mentioned both the Nopphamat and the River Goddess version of the festival. It was then time to light the Krathongs and float them in the water body of the Dusit Deverana hotel. But we also had the master Krathong coming with a ‘queen’ in a palanquin.

Krathong
The Queen and the Krathong

Once the main krathong was received it was time for the festivities to start in the earnest. All the guests were given a Krathong to float and I too tried my hand at it.

The Beautiful Festival of Loi Krathong
The Beautiful Festival of Loi Krathong

The festival was preceded by drinks and followed by dinner. I ate red Thai curry and my favorite fruits like Rambutan and Mangosteen once again. It was a beautiful evening, I managed to get a small flavor of Thailand in my own backyard at Dusit Deverana, Delhi.

facebookShare on Facebook
TwitterTweet
FollowFollow us
PinterestSave

18 thoughts on “Loi Krathong Festival”

  1. Anuradha Shankar says:
    November 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm

    Its beautiful, Mridula. I wonder how they make them!

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:37 pm

      Anu if I ever witness the festival again I will try to find out. It somehow didn’t occur to me to ask!

      Reply
  2. Nikhil says:
    November 18, 2013 at 5:22 pm

    Beautiful post Mridula!:)

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:38 pm

      Thank you Nikhil.

      Reply
  3. sindhoooo says:
    November 18, 2013 at 6:19 pm

    Wow! Amazing practices! And, must say, the picture are just fabulous! Even I have the curiosity, what are they made of and how are they made?

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:39 pm

      Sindhu if I see it the next time I will try to figure it out.

      Reply
  4. meenamenon says:
    November 18, 2013 at 6:44 pm

    SO beautiful! The expression on girls face n the krathong should be my favs

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:40 pm

      Thank you Meena.

      Reply
  5. Pallavi says:
    November 19, 2013 at 7:21 am

    Hi Mridula,

    Thanks for dropping by my blog 🙂

    Glad you got to witness the Thai culture and their delcious food right in the heart of Delhi. The Krathong looks so beautiful and intricate. Lovely pictures and i enjoyed discovering a bit of Thailand with you 🙂

    Your newest follower,
    Pallavi 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      Pallavi I too have enjoyed your Kashmir pics and that yellow lotus completely floored me! 😀

      Reply
  6. pareshkale says:
    November 19, 2013 at 10:39 am

    I like the inclusion fo flowers in almost every act !

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Yes Paresh what an observation!

      Reply
  7. Amar Naik says:
    November 19, 2013 at 11:23 am

    beautiful pictures. asian cultures share inspiration from each other religions probably.

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 3:43 pm

      Yes Amar both Thailand and Cambodia show traces of Hinduism and Buddhism but in their own unique way.

      Reply
  8. Empty Rucksack says:
    November 19, 2013 at 4:51 pm

    I love rambutans! (and also the last picture in this post ) 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 19, 2013 at 7:49 pm

      I too like the tropical fruits and the festival of Loi Krathong 😀

      Reply
  9. preethi says:
    November 20, 2013 at 3:47 pm

    I was just going to ask you the same thing about how they make it. So beautiful, delicate and colorful. Lovely pictures. Loved the link you added too. Looks like you had a wonderful evening. What better way to appease your senses that music dance lovely lights and sights. Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    1. Mridula says:
      November 24, 2013 at 4:31 pm

      Thank you Preethi 😀

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me

I am Mridula Dwivedi and I started this blog in 2005. It has been an amazing ride. I have visited 33 countries till date! I have worked with many tourism boards and prominent travel companies. My blog was featured on the BBC and the Guardian.

I did my Ph.D. from IIT Kanpur. I worked full time in academics till 2015! I quit my job as a professor, thinking I will take a break for one year, which turned into five.

Subscribe to the blog!

Subscribe

* indicates required

Support provided by Credible Content Writing & Copywriting Services

©2025 Travel Tales from India and Abroad | Powered by SuperbThemes