Before we left Ohio, the children's teacher assigned a little project for them to bring back to their classmates: a presentation about celebrations in Thailand.
With no doubt in my mind, I knew that one of the celebrations that we needed to cover is Loi Krathong. It used to be my favorite 'holiday' even though I have not been in Thailand for the actual Loi Krathong for as many years as I have been away (going on more than 20 years now).
As a child in school and at home before Loi Krathong, we would be busy making our own 'krathongs', a small float traditionally made with banana trunks and leaves made into the shape of a lotus flower. Each krathong would be decorated with fresh flowers, a candle, and whatever else one would like to include during the day to celebrate and thank the waterways (a widespread tradition in southeast Asia, adopted from traditional Indian culture, we believe).
Loi Krathong occurs each year on the full moon in November...so we are a month late. No matter, the river house is full of banana trees and of course there is a river to float the krathongs on.
And so, the kids got to make their own krathongs, just like I did as a child. Another Thai traditions has been passed down to the next generation. Next November, however, we will have to find an unfrozen river somewhere in the midwest to relive our tropical days.
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