Festival of Lights, and Honoring the Water Goddess

 

Glorious Chiang Mai

Clint and I next travelled north to the mountainous area that was once the kingdom of Lan Na. It's a region of Thailand steeped in the ancient past, but colorful and boisterous in the here and now. I was at a conference for much of the week, but once the sun went down something incredible happened.

A Mythical Festival 

We were super lucky to arrive during the Loi Krathong Festival which honors the Goddess of Water. People create little rafts of banana leaves and flowers, place a candle in the middle, and with a prayer place them on the Ping River to float glowing downstream. 

They also light huge lanterns to cast off into the sky, but we missed that event as it was on the edge of town this year. Still, there was a LOT to see!

Gorgeously colored lanterns glowed from every temple. And there are some 300 temples in this town of about 32,000!

We were standing on a bridge here; to the right are hundreds of people placing the little flower rafts (krathong) on the river. 

Everyone loves a parade!

The night after, there was a big parade. We waited with tens of thousands of festival goers along Tha Pae Walking Street, sipping an ice cold mango smoothie. Thai smoothies are super simple and delicious: fresh ripe mango and a shake of ice in a blender. 

Soon the crowd surged forward as the parade arrived: beautiful men and women in traditional dress, like princes and princesses: traditional Thai walking bands; marching bands; and several creative and fun floats from the various consulates. The one from the USA was a Mardi Gras float?! But my faves were the local ones, of course. 

 

The floats were feasts for the eyes. I liked the down home vibe of this one hauled by a pickup truck.

Several universities vied for the best float. This one was for a university that specializes in hydrology. I am pretty sure these are students. Nuff said.

Much of the symbolism of these exquisite floats is embedded in Buddhism, and the older animistic religions of Thailand. Serpentine dragons and elephants are common motifs. 

Curry After Party

Hot, happy, and footsore, we found a nice little restaurant called Lemongrass and shared a big cold bottle of Singha beer and some appetizers. 

Fish cakes: crisp on the outside, piping hot and tender inside, were served with tangy tamarind dipping sauce. 

For the main course, we both ordered big bowls of green curry. This meal, like the lanterns and parade, was a little celebration of northern Thai cultural heritage!  

I wish you could smell the fragrance of lemon grass, basil, chilis, and other more subtle flavors.