Stories from the field
- From Liz Manning
holiday season is upon us, loy khratong and all!
Planeterra's Liz Manning kicks off the holidays at a Thai
water festival
I was excited to learn that my first evening in Bangkok coincided with Loy Krathong, a festival celebrated across Thailand on the full moon of the 12th month of the lunar calendar. In honor of the Goddess of Water, small circular discs of banana trees are decorated with flowers, candles and incense and are set out on rivers and other bodies of water. The act of floating these krathongs or rafts is said to bring luck and allow one to let go of grudges or frustrations and start anew. This would be my first time celebrating Loy Krathong and I was happy to join a few Australians living in Bangkok who could lead the way…
We were first off to Benjakiti Park, a quiet oasis in the heart of Bangkok. On our walk there, the streets were lined with tables covered in krathongs of various sizes and colors. I found a small one loaded down in purple orchids being sold by a boy and his grandmother and handed over my 20 BHT. Into the park we went before realizing we’d forgotten one crucial element, that being fire. After borrowing a lighter, we gathered around the edge of the pond and set them afloat. The other three krathongs floated off gracefully, while mine drifted a couple of feet before flipping upside down and beginning to sink. After a few laughs, we moved back from the water’s edge to watch families gathering to set their own afloat. A couple of kids ran by giggling with lit sparklers twirling in their hands. “What a wonderfully peaceful celebration!” I remarked to Melissa who was standing next to me. She smiled and replied, "I think we need to show you how the rest of the city celebrates.”
A short drive away we entered a large park with another water feature in the center. This was a very different scene from Benjakiti Park. There were thousands of people swarming around, loud music playing, a marching band warming up, troupes of dancers performing, and hundreds of people around the water jostling to get in and float their krathongs. Squeezing through the crowd we moved towards the edge of the water to watch and take a few photos. I noticed a small gathering of kids who were pushing krathongs along the water with little metal poles. I snapped a few photos and tilted my camera up to see if they were clear. As I scrolled through them I noticed two of the kids had their hands tucked under the flowers of the krathongs. As I looked up I saw that this same group of kids was actively checking each krathong for money, which had been tucked under the flowers as offerings. The smaller children checked each kratong and passed the coins to the oldest child, a girl of probably 12. I was shocked to see how gutsy these kids were to be doing this in front of the very people who had just set their krathongs afloat. After a few minutes the children became more aggressive and began pulling the krathongs apart. They threw the candles into the water, ripped the flowers apart in search of just one or two Baht. As I looked across the water I saw dark patches where the candles had been extinguished and the surface of the water was covered in petals. My first reaction was to feel frustrated and disappointed that this group of kids was destroying this beautiful ritual. At second thought however, it was a demonstration in their desperation to collect what would be the equivalent of only a $1 or 2.
I carried the mental image of these kids with me over the next two weeks as I traveled across Thailand and Cambodia looking at different programs that included a few that provide support to youth in need. My first Loy Krathong celebration was a beautiful one, but will serve as a reminder that amidst the revelry and excitement of the holiday season and the start of a new year, I’ll be taking some time to look for ways that I can give back, both at home and the next time I’m abroad.
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