Loy Krathong 2015

Loy Krathong 2015
Loy Krathong 2015

Loy Krathong 2015

Loy Krathong is usually described as the Thai equivalent of Saint Valentine’s Day, which is true in that it is the day of lovers. Loy Krathong in 2015 was yesterday, November 25th. I say that, because it is always in November, but it is moveable, like Easter, depending on the full moon. The translation is ‘launching boats’, not as many believe, ‘millions of boats’. The misunderstanding comes about because of Thai’s tonal language and foreigners arrogance, thinking that they understand Thai.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, as the saying goes.

It is one of Thailand’s most popular holidays, along with the old Thai New Year in April.

Both of these holidays attract millions of visitors every year.

However, I don’t see any of that because I live in a small village. The cities, especially those that draw tourists, such as the seaside resorts, put on spectacles and many of the staff wear traditional costume for the day, in much the same way as Welsh school children do in Wales on St. David’s Day.

However, yesterday was a first for our village, because the Wat – the village Buddhist Temple – had created a pond and ‘river’ for the occasion.

You see, loving couples make or buy krathong, boats, which they traditionally launch into the river. If the boats (cross-sections of banana trees) stay together, it ‘means that the couple will stay together for another year.

Attendance is compulsory for married or courting men of all ages and even young girls who don’t have boyfriends will take part, hoping to find a partner, for as the krathongs are placed in the river, you are allowed a wish, if you keep it secret.

Loy Krathong is a lovely old traditional Thai festival, and I urge you to have a look next November.

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All the best.

Owen

My sites on Thailand: Thailand – The Jewel in SE Asia    Lek’s Website on Thailand

Podcast: Loy Krathong 2015


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Owen
Owen

Owen Jones, Amazon Best-Selling Author from Barry, Wales, has lived in several countries and travelled in many more. While studying Russian in the USSR in the '70's, he hobnobbed with spies on a regular basis; in Suriname, he got caught up in the 1982 coup; and while a company director, he joined the crew of four as the galley slave to sail from Barry to Gibraltar a home-made concrete yacht, which was almost rammed by a Russian oil tanker and an American aircraft carrier.
“I am a Celt, and we are romantic”, he said when asked about his writing style, “and I firmly believe in reincarnation, Karma and Fate, so, sayings like 'Do unto another...', and 'What goes round comes around' are central to my life and reflected in my work. I write about what I see, or think I see, or dream... and, in the end it is all the same really”. He speaks seven languages and is learning Thai, since he lives in Thailand with his Thai wife of fifteen years.
His first novel, Daddy's Hobby is from the seven-part series 'Behind The Smile: The Story of Lek, a Bar Girl in Pattaya', but his largest collection is 'The Megan Series', twenty-three novelettes on the psychic development of a teenage girl, the subtitle of which, 'A Spirit Guide, A Ghost Tiger and One Scary Mother!' sums them up nicely. He has written fifty novels and novelettes, including: Dead Centre; Andropov's Cuckoo; Fate Twister; The Disallowed (a philosophical comedy); Tiger Lily of Bangkok; and A Night in Annwn (Annwn being the ancient Welsh word for Heaven). Many have been translated into foreign languages and narrated into audio books.
Owen Jones writes stories set in Wales, Spain and Thailand, where he now lives. He is a life-long Spiritualist, and this belief is interwoven, in a very realistic way, into many of his books and storylines. If you like a touch of the 'supernatural', try his books
He sums his life up thus: “Born in the Land of Song, Living in the Land of Smiles”.

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