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59-409: Loy Krathong ( Thai : ลอยกระทง , RTGS :  Loi Krathong , pronounced [lɔ̄ːj krā.tʰōŋ] ) is a Thai festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and in nearby countries with significant South Western Tai cultures ( Laos , Shan , Mon , Tanintharyi , Kelantan , Kedah , and Xishuangbanna ). The name could be translated as "to float ritual vessel or lamp," and comes from

118-623: A dominant language in all aspects of society in Thailand, Thai initially saw gradual and later widespread adoption as a second language among the country's minority ethnic groups from the mid-late Ayutthaya period onward. Ethnic minorities today are predominantly bilingual, speaking Thai alongside their native language or dialect. Standard Thai is classified as one of the Chiang Saen languages—others being Northern Thai , Southern Thai and numerous smaller languages, which together with

177-625: A derivate of the Malay word kantong ( Kantong ), which has a similar pronunciation and the same meaning. Loy Krathong is once said to have begun in the Sukhothai Kingdom by a court lady named Nopphamat. However, it is now known that the Nopphamat tale comes from a poem written in the early-Bangkok period. According to King Rama IV , writing in 1863, it was a Hindu festival that was adapted by Thai Buddhists in Thailand to honour

236-550: A fact that a woman of this name was the leading character of a novel released at the end of the reign of King Rama III , around 1850 CE. Her character was written as guidance for all women who wished to become civil servants. Kelantan in Malaysia celebrates Loy Krathong similarly, especially in the Tumpat area. The ministry in charge of tourism in Malaysia recognizes it as an attraction for tourists. Loy Krathong coincides with

295-400: A few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathongs are also biodegradable, but Styrofoam krathongs are increasingly banned, as they pollute rivers and oceans. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, three incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits. On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on

354-533: A four-way distinction among stops and affricates . The maximal four-way occurred in labials ( /p pʰ b ʔb/ ) and denti-alveolars ( /t tʰ d ʔd/ ); the three-way distinction among velars ( /k kʰ ɡ/ ) and palatals ( /tɕ tɕʰ dʑ/ ), with the glottalized member of each set apparently missing. The major change between old and modern Thai was due to voicing distinction losses and the concomitant tone split . This may have happened between about 1300 and 1600 CE, possibly occurring at different times in different parts of

413-518: A river, canal, or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The floats are thought to have been introduced to Chiang Mai in 1947 and have since been incorporated into Thai culture. Government offices, corporations, and other organizations launch large decorated krathongs. There are competitions for the best of these large krathongs. Beauty contests often accompany the festivities and fireworks also have become common. The practice of Loy Krathong in Thailand which roots Hindu in origin, derived from Dewali ,

472-477: A stick, khom khwaen ( Thai : โคมแขวน ) are the hanging lanterns, and khom pariwat ( Thai : โคมปริวรรต ), which are placed at temples and which revolve due to the heat of the candle inside. The most elaborate Yi Peng celebrations can be seen in Chiang Mai , the ancient capital of the former Lanna kingdom, where now both Loy Krathong and Yi Peng are celebrated at the same time resulting in lights floating on

531-530: A syllable that formerly began with a voiceless consonant (including glottalized stops). An additional complication is that formerly voiceless unaspirated stops/affricates (original /p t k tɕ ʔb ʔd/ ) also caused original tone 1 to lower, but had no such effect on original tones 2 or 3. The above consonant mergers and tone splits account for the complex relationship between spelling and sound in modern Thai. Modern "low"-class consonants were voiced in Old Thai, and

590-519: A trading voyage leaving Ta'apoi behind in the care of his seven daughters-in-law. Unfortunately it didn't go well as they secretly resented her and made Ta'poi do all the household work and even made her starve may times. Months after enduring physical and mental abuse Ta'apoi ran away to the forest and prayed to Goddess Mangala (a form of Goddess Durga) who showered her blessings and a few days later, her father and brothers return unexpectedly. Realising what had happened, they brought Ta'apoi back and punished

649-506: Is based on the register of the educated classes by Central Thai and ethnic minorities in the area along the ring surrounding the Metropolis . In addition to Central Thai, Thailand is home to other related Tai languages . Although most linguists classify these dialects as related but distinct languages, native speakers often identify them as regional variants or dialects of the "same" Thai language, or as "different kinds of Thai". As

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708-557: Is based on the dialect of the central Thai people, and it is written in the Thai script . Hlai languages Kam-Sui languages Kra languages Be language Northern Tai languages Central Tai languages Khamti language Tai Lue language Shan language others Northern Thai language Thai language Southern Thai language Tai Yo language Phuthai language Lao language (PDR Lao, Isan language ) Thai has undergone various historical sound changes. Some of

767-416: Is held at Gadagadia Ghata of Cuttack on the banks of Mahanadi river. The name of the festival is a genesis of two words: Boita and Bandana. Where Boita ( Odia : ବୋଇତ Boita) refers to larger boats and ships that were built in the ancient Kalinga kingdom during their historic era of maritime trade , while Bandana ( Odia : ବନ୍ଦାଣ bandāṇa ) derived from Vandana ( Sanskrit : वन्दन ) refers to

826-486: Is the language of television, education, news reporting, and all forms of media. A recent research found that the speakers of the Northern Thai language (also known as Phasa Mueang or Kham Mueang) have become so few, as most people in northern Thailand now invariably speak Standard Thai, so that they are now using mostly Central Thai words and only seasoning their speech with the "Kham Mueang" accent. Standard Thai

885-571: Is then ſeen cover'd with floating Lanthorns which paſs with it. There are of different Sizes, according to the Devotion of every particular Perſon; the variouſly painted Paper, whereof they are made, augments the agreeable effect of ſo many lights. Moreover, to thank the Earth for the Harveſt, they do on the firſt days of their Year make another magnificent Illumination. The firſt time we arriv'd at Louvo

944-406: Is traditionally a small floating container fashioned of leaves which is made to hold a small portion of goods like a traditional Thai dish (such as hor mok ) or dessert. The traditional krathong used for floating at the festival are made from a slice of a banana tree trunk or a spider lily plant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or Styrofoam . A bread krathong will disintegrate after

1003-566: The Buddha , Prince Siddhartha Gautama . The candle venerates the Buddha with light, while the krathong's floating away symbolises letting go of all one's hatred, anger, and defilements. People sometimes cut their fingernails or hair and place the clippings on the krathong as a symbol of letting go of past transgressions and negative thoughts. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water,

1062-592: The Chao Phraya River and canals. In 2017, because the sky lanterns are a hazard to passing aircraft and "...can cause damage to important places in the areas such as the Grand Palace [sic], temples and governmental offices,..." khom loi are increasingly subject to governmental restrictions. In Chiang Mai, authorities cancelled 78 flights in and out of Chiang Mai Airport on 3–4 November 2017. Another 79 flights were rescheduled. Despite those measures,

1121-507: The Hindu Goddess Ganga , Phra Mae Khongkha ( Thai : พระแม่คงคา ). Simon de la Loubère led an embassy to Siam (modern Thailand ) in 1687 (the "La Loubère- Céberet mission"). Upon his return, La Loubère wrote a description of his travels, as had been requested by Louis XIV , published under the title Du Royaume de Siam . Loy Krathong festival was mentioned in his book in the sixth chapter of part two called Concerning

1180-581: The Indian Ocean to reach Southeast Asia where they would carry on sailing across different regions for trade. After trading the ships would take the ocean countercurrent to get back to Sri Lanka in time to take advantage of the Southwest monsoon around the month of May and return home. Hence the women from the families of the traveling sailors used to perform rituals on the day of Kartik Purnima for their safe journey and return, which henceforth became

1239-558: The Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng ( Thai : ยี่เป็ง ). Yi means 'two' and peng means a 'full moon day'. Yi Peng refers to the full moon day in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar (the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar ). The festival is meant as a time to make merit . Swarms of sky lanterns ( Thai : โคมลอย ; RTGS :  khom loi ), literally: 'floating lanterns', are launched into

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1298-455: The 12th century, depicts scenes of Loy Krathong. A bas relief on the upper level depicts a queen residing on the boat to float the krathong in the river whereas six other royal concubines are depicted below, some of which are holding the krathong and dedicating at the riverbank in a similar tradition practiced in present-day Cambodia , Thailand, and other Southeast Asian countries. Similarities can be observed with Kartik Purnima celebrated in

1357-498: The Branches of Trees, or on Poſts."― Simon de la Loubère. The beauty contests that accompany the festival are known as "Nopphamat Queen Contests" has been promoted since the reign of King Rama III . Since the country became peaceful after getting involved with many wars, King Rama III ordered the palace officers and people to revive and promote the important festivals of the kingdom, such as Loy Krathong. According to legend written on

1416-555: The Khmer system first before the Thai borrowed. Old Thai had a three-way tone distinction on "live syllables" (those not ending in a stop), with no possible distinction on "dead syllables" (those ending in a stop, i.e. either /p/, /t/, /k/ or the glottal stop that automatically closes syllables otherwise ending in a short vowel). There was a two-way voiced vs. voiceless distinction among all fricative and sonorant consonants, and up to

1475-677: The Northwestern Tai and Lao-Phutai languages, form the Southwestern branch of Tai languages . The Tai languages are a branch of the Kra–Dai language family , which encompasses a large number of indigenous languages spoken in an arc from Hainan and Guangxi south through Laos and Northern Vietnam to the Cambodian border. Standard Thai is the principal language of education and government and spoken throughout Thailand. The standard

1534-871: The Shows, and other Diverſion of the Siameſes: Religious Shows: An Illumination on the Waters, and another on the Land, and in the Palace. "The Siameſes have alſo ſome Religious Shows. When the Waters begin to retreat, the People returns them Thanks for ſeveral Nights together with a great Illumination; not only for that they are retired, but for the Fertility which they render to the Lands. The whole River

1593-491: The Thai-speaking area. All voiced–voiceless pairs of consonants lost the voicing distinction: However, in the process of these mergers, the former distinction of voice was transferred into a new set of tonal distinctions. In essence, every tone in Old Thai split into two new tones, with a lower-pitched tone corresponding to a syllable that formerly began with a voiced consonant, and a higher-pitched tone corresponding to

1652-558: The air. Khom loi are made from a thin fabric, such as rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When the fuel cell is lit, the resulting hot air is trapped inside the lantern and creates enough lift for the khom loi to float into the sky. During the festival, some people also decorate their houses, gardens, and temples with khom fai ( Thai : โคมไฟ ), intricately shaped paper lanterns which take on different forms. Khom thue ( Thai : โคมถือ ) are lanterns which are carried around hanging from

1711-667: The early morning of Kartik Purnima which is the full moon day in the month Kartika in the traditional Odia calendar . Since it falls on the lunar phase of the solar calendar, the exact date of the festival changes every year. In the Gregorian calendar, the festival usually falls in the month of November. The festival is a celebrated to mark the commemoration on the day when Sadhabas (ancient Odia mariner merchants) would set sail to distant lands of mainland and insular Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka for trade and cultural exchange. A major commemoration of this festival called Bali Jatra

1770-597: The eastern state of Odisha in India. This festival is called Boita Bandana \ Dangā Bhasā, which is observed on the Kartik Purnima or full moon day of Kartik month (which corresponds to October–November) in Odia calendar . Loy Krathong festivities are usually celebrated during the period which corresponds to Kartik Purnima. Odisha being part of the ancient Kalinga which had strong maritime trade relations with Southeast Asia,

1829-545: The festival changes every year. In the Western calendar this usually falls in the month of November. In Chiang Mai , the festival lasts three days, and in 2024, the dates are 15-16 November. In Thailand , the festival is known as Loi Krathong. Outside Thailand, this festival is celebrated under different names, including Myanmar as the " Tazaungdaing festival ", Sri Lanka as " Il Full Moon Poya ", China as " Lantern Festival " and Cambodia as " Bon Om Touk ". A krathong

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1888-596: The festival of lights celebrated in India as Hindus were known to celebrate the Diwali festival to worship the divine trinity and those Hindus who were converted to Buddhism had created a rite similar to the Diwali. Hinduism has existed in Suvarnabhumi in a syncretistic relationship with Theravada Buddhism at least since 5th century B.C. In Khmer Empire . Walls of Bayon , a temple built by King Jayavarman VII in

1947-640: The festivities, Bangkok city workers cleared 841,327 krathongs, up from 3.6 percent in 2017, from the Chao Phraya River, local canals, and 30 public parks; 5.3 percent of them were made from styrofoam. Thai language Thai , or Central Thai (historically Siamese ; Thai: ภาษาไทย ), is a Tai language of the Kra–Dai language family spoken by the Central Thai , Mon , Lao Wiang , Phuan people in Central Thailand and

2006-528: The local patois as pronounced in Guangdong Ayutthaya , the old capital of Thailand from 1351 - 1767 A.D., was from the beginning a bilingual society, speaking Thai and Khmer . Bilingualism must have been strengthened and maintained for some time by the great number of Khmer-speaking captives the Thais took from Angkor Thom after their victories in 1369, 1388 and 1431. Gradually toward the end of

2065-413: The means of folklore like songs and plays. One such old folk tale is about Ta'apoi ( Odia : ତଅପୋଇ ) which dates to around 13th-14th century CE. The story describes a wealthy sadhaba family which consists of a wealthy widower merchant who had seven sons and a daughter named Ta'apoi. The daughter being the youngest in the family was doted on by her father and brothers. The merchant decided to take his sons on

2124-675: The moat in the town centre near the Thao Suranaree Monument . In Buriram , more than 200 workers and volunteers in Mueang District cleared at least 20,000 krathong from the town's moat. There, Styrofoam krathong will be banned in 2017. In Lampang , more than 100 students and teachers from the Institute of Physical Education helped municipal workers clean up the Wang River in Mueang District . In 2018, after

2183-551: The most significant changes occurred during the evolution from Old Thai to modern Thai. The Thai writing system has an eight-century history and many of these changes, especially in consonants and tones, are evidenced in the modern orthography . According to a Chinese source, during the Ming dynasty , Yingya Shenglan (1405–1433), Ma Huan reported on the language of the Xiānluó (暹羅) or Ayutthaya Kingdom, saying that it somewhat resembled

2242-532: The ocean in Southeast Asia. Kartika Purnima was considered an auspicious for them to begin their voyage. It was during this time of month as well when the Northeast monsoon winds start blowing from November, which was favourable for the merchant mariners as the winds would guide the sails of their boats across the ocean leading them southwards towards Sri Lanka. Thereafter using the ocean currents to cross

2301-442: The origins of the ritual tradition to around 3rd century BC as Kalinga was a well known powerful maritime power and with strong trading links across the oceans especially during the reign of Maurya empire whose rulers coveted the region for its influence. The voyages were undertaken in vessels known as boitas , by sadhabas or merchant mariners. They set off for months at a time, to trade with people from these distant lands across

2360-415: The period, a language shift took place. Khmer fell out of use. Both Thai and Khmer descendants whose great-grand parents or earlier ancestors were bilingual came to use only Thai. In the process of language shift, an abundance of Khmer elements were transferred into Thai and permeated all aspects of the language. Consequently, the Thai of the late Ayutthaya Period which later became Ratanakosin or Bangkok Thai,

2419-399: The poem, Nang Nopphamat ( Thai : นางนพมาศ ; alternatively spelled as "Noppamas" or "Nopamas") was a consort of the 13th century Sukhothai King Sri Indraditya (who is also known as Phra Ruang ) and she reputedly was the first to float a decorated raft. However, this tale may have been invented in the early-19th century. There is no evidence that a Nang Nopphamat ever existed. Instead, it is

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2478-654: The remains of more than 100 lanterns were later found on airport premises. In Bangkok, the public are prohibited from using fireworks and sky lanterns entirely. Violators may face three years imprisonment and/or a fine of 60,000 baht . One hundred-ninety piers on the Chao Phraya River will be open to the public to float their krathongs. In 2018, up to 158 flights were cancelled or rescheduled at three airports, and in Bangkok 88 piers were closed. In 2017, in Nakhon Ratchasima province, 50 workers collected krathong from

2537-424: The rituals which is reminiscent of the sea voyage, which was undertaken on that particular day by the merchants of Kalinga known as Sadhabas . The ritualistic floating of boats signifies the symbolic gesture of their ancestors' voyage across the sea. The floating ritual of the boat is accompanied by the phrase: The common interpretation of the phrase is with regards to the offerings of betel nut and betel leaves to

2596-492: The royal vocabulary according to their immediate environment. Thai and Pali, the latter from Theravada Buddhism, were added to the vocabulary. An investigation of the Ayutthaya Rajasap reveals that three languages, Thai, Khmer and Khmero-Indic were at work closely both in formulaic expressions and in normal discourse. In fact, Khmero-Indic may be classified in the same category as Khmer because Indic had been adapted to

2655-487: The sea brings all the blessings of the month-long worship during the Kartika month and ensures the safe return of family members from long sea voyages. The phrase ଆ କା ମା ବୈ (ā kā mā bai) refers to the four sacred months of Asadha, Kartika, Magha and Baisakha which represents the duration of voyage for ships to Southeast Asian island countries in ancient times. The maritime links to Kartik Purnima are also preserved through

2714-659: The similarities in all these festivals may not be coincidental. According to the 1999 Royal Institute Dictionary, loi ( ลอย ) means 'to float', while krathong ( กระทง ) has various meanings, one of which is 'a small vessel made of leaves which can be floated on water during the Loy Krathong festival.' Moreover, according to the Royal Society of Thailand , the word krathong is derived from Old Chinese word 鐙 or 燈 ( /*k-tˤəŋ/ ) which means ritual vessel or lamp. However, other sources believe krathong to be

2773-521: The sisters-in-law for their misdeeds. This folk tale hence points out the tradition of long voyages and also expresses the inner anxieties of the merchants and their family members. The Ta'apoi folktale has hence formed the base for one of the popular religious festivals of the Odia community practiced by unmarried girls who keep a fast (ବ୍ରତ brata) in the month of Bhadraba for the well-being of their brothers and future husbands. The folktale's incorporation as

2832-535: The terminology "low" reflects the lower tone variants that resulted. Modern "mid"-class consonants were voiceless unaspirated stops or affricates in Old Thai—precisely the class that triggered lowering in original tone 1 but not tones 2 or 3. Modern "high"-class consonants were the remaining voiceless consonants in Old Thai (voiceless fricatives, voiceless sonorants, voiceless aspirated stops). The three most common tone "marks" (the lack of any tone mark, as well as

2891-420: The three tones of Old Thai were split have since merged into five in standard Thai, with the lower variant of former tone 2 merging with the higher variant of former tone 3, becoming the modern "falling" tone. หม ม หน น, ณ หญ ญ หง ง ป ผ พ, ภ บ ฏ, ต ฐ, ถ ท, ธ ฎ, ด จ ฉ ช Boita Bandana Boita Bandana takes place in

2950-593: The tradition of Boita Bandana (Worship of the Boats). The festival is celebrated on Kartika Purnima which is the full moon day in the month of Kartika in the Odia calendar. Kartika month is considered to be the most auspicious and sacred in the traditional calendar. In the early hours of the day, people assemble on the banks of rivers, ponds, tanks and sea shore and float miniature boats made of paper, banana bark, cork etc, decorated with betel nut, betel leaves, flowers and with lit diyas (lamps). The boats are worshipped as per

3009-400: The tradition of making krathong or buoyant, decorated baskets, which are then floated on a river. Many Thais use the krathong to thank the Goddess of Water and River, Goddess Khongkha ( Thai : พระแม่คงคา ) This festival traces its origin back to India. Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar , thus the exact date of

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3068-423: The two marks termed mai ek and mai tho ) represent the three tones of Old Thai, and the complex relationship between tone mark and actual tone is due to the various tonal changes since then. Since the tone split, the tones have changed in actual representation to the point that the former relationship between lower and higher tonal variants has been completely obscured. Furthermore, the six tones that resulted after

3127-508: The urban/rural divide, is partly mutually intelligible with Lao , Isan , and some fellow Thai topolects . These languages are written with slightly different scripts, but are linguistically similar and effectively form a dialect continuum . Thai language is spoken by over 69 million people (2020). Moreover, most Thais in the northern (Lanna) and the northeastern (Isan) parts of the country today are bilingual speakers of Central Thai and their respective regional dialects because Central Thai

3186-555: The vast majority of Thai Chinese enclaves throughout the country. It is the sole official language of Thailand . Thai is the most spoken of over 60 languages of Thailand by both number of native and overall speakers. Over half of its vocabulary is derived from or borrowed from Pali , Sanskrit , Mon and Old Khmer . It is a tonal and analytic language . Thai has a complex orthography and system of relational markers . Spoken Thai, depending on standard sociolinguistic factors such as age, gender, class, spatial proximity, and

3245-784: The waters, lights hanging from trees/buildings or standing on walls, and lights floating in the sky. The tradition of Yi Peng was also adopted by certain parts of Laos during the 16th century. In 2016, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) cleaned six tonnes of rubbish from the city's waterways on the day after Loy Krathong. The city governor said that 661,935 floats were collected from waterways across Bangkok . Of these, 617,901 (93.7 percent) were made of decomposible natural materials, while 44,034 were non-biodegradable Styrofoam floats. There were 163,679 fewer krathong collected than in 2015. The city mobilized 210 workers and 45 boats to collect floats from

3304-416: The worship with lighted lamp, hence referring to the homage paid to the ancient merchants who made the voyage. Its other name Danga Bhasa is similarly the genesis of two words: Danga (boat) and bhasa (float), which literally means 'the floating of boats'. The origins of this festival descends from an ancient maritime tradition of merchant trade and voyages across the ocean to different regions of Asia, which

3363-453: Was a thorough mixture of Thai and Khmer. There were more Khmer words in use than Tai cognates. Khmer grammatical rules were used actively to coin new disyllabic and polysyllabic words and phrases. Khmer expressions, sayings, and proverbs were expressed in Thai through transference. Thais borrowed both the Royal vocabulary and rules to enlarge the vocabulary from Khmer. The Thais later developed

3422-841: Was in the Night, and at the time of this Illumination; and we ſaw the Walls of the City adorned with lighted Lanthorns at equal diſtances; but the inſide of the Palace was much more pleaſant to behold. In the Walls which do make the Incloſures of the Courts, there were contrived three rows of ſmall Niches all round, in every of which burnt a Lamp. The Windows and Doors were likewiſe all adorn'd with ſeveral Fires, and ſeveral great and ſmall Lanthorns, of different Figures, garniſhed with Paper, or Canvas, and differently painted, were hung up with an agreeable Symmetry on

3481-516: Was well developed in this region known in ancient times as Kalinga . This ancient maritime tradition is preserved through this festival which celebrates the voyages of their ancestors, to Southeast Asian countries, which include mainly present-day Bali, Java, Sumatra and Borneo in Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and all the way to Champa region in Vietnam. Local traditions ascribe

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