The traditional annual water festival each year sees krathong floated as offerings to the water goddess Phra Mae Kongka in the hope she blesses supplicants by keeping negative forces at bay and bringing prosperity in all its forms to their lives.
The Phuket Provincial Administration Organisation (PPAO, or OrBorJor) will hold its Loy Krathong festivities at Chalong Pier, with many daytime activities, including an alms-giving ceremony for 19 monks at 7am as well as the traditional longtail boat race on Chalong Bay.
In the evening, there will be the traditional “Nang Noppamas” beauty pageant and live music and dance performances by students. (See details here.)
Rawai Municipality has announced its schedule of festivities for Loy Krathong, to be held at Nai Harn Lake Park, where the traditional Nang Noppamas beauty pageant and other festivities will be held, including the charming “Noo Noi Noppamas” beauty pageant for young children.
There will be Thai country singing competition on Nov 10, and the following night (Nov 11) there will be the beauty pageants as well as “Most Beautiful Krathong” and “Most Creative Krathong” contests. (See story here.)
Cherng Talay Municipality will hold its festivities at Laguna Grove, located in the Laguna Phuket complex, on Nov 11, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. There will be a mini concert of the singer “Por Annop”, as well as live music performed by a Thai country band from Thung Song School in Nakson Dri Thammarat, a singing contest, a Most Beautiful Krathong contest, and live music and dance performances by students. (See details here.)
In Srisoonthorn, the annual traditional festivities will take on a very Thai country theme, held at the traditional site at age-old village of Bang Maruan.
Srisoonthorn Mayor Worawut Songyot, joined by Thalang District Chief Adul Chuthong, last Thursday announced that local festivities will be held at the main park from Nov 8-11 under the theme “preserving local wisdom”.
The Srisoonthorn festivities will highlight the daily lives of local villagers of yesteryear, especially those of local tin mine workers.
The activities will include classical Thai dance from the period as well as traditional foods from the era, Mayor Worawut explained.
The fair will feature a tin-mining exhibition, demonstrations of local skills handed down through the years, an exhibition of the history of Loy Krathong traditions from past times through to the present, and photo displays for people to see how local Phuket people lived in the past.
“The main purpose of holding these activities is for participants to learn about our local culture and to preserve our local identity,” he said.
“It also gives people and folk artists in many fields the opportunity to show their works fully and equally and helps to promote tourism to Phuket, and to Srisoonthorn,” he added.
“The event also helps us to pass on Loy Krathong traditions, which is a good traditional festival of Thailand that we have inherited as our cultural heritage from the past to the present, and continue to this day,” Mayor Worawut explained.
To that point, Mayor Woraut also urged all people taking part in the Loy Krathong festivities, “Use natural materials for your krathong in order to reduce the amount of pollution and to help protect the environment”.
“All people are welcome to attend, and to dress in costumes of Phuket yesteryear,” Mayor Worawut said.
“People will find themselves amid an atmosphere of the past that is unique, beautiful and fun, while still preserving Thai arts, culture and traditions, which have a unique identity,’ he added.