Thailand – The Lantern Festival

The Experience

Embark on an unforgettable adventure in the colorful Southeast Asian Kingdom of Thailand during the most festive period of the year. Our journey will take us through Northern Thailand exploring shimmering temples, lending a hand at an elephant sanctuary, learning to cook Thai food and making our way through the bustling markets. We’ll venture to the countryside to experience village life in the rolling green hills one day and dive into Thailand’s Buddhist traditions the next helping to create traditional clay amulets.

The experience will be built around two of Thailand’s most colorful festivals, the Loy Krathong festival of lights and Yi Peng sky lantern festival. Although Loy Krathong is now celebrated throughout Thailand, it’s believed to have originated in Sukothai, the first Thai capital. We’ll first experience the festival here in true Thai tradition, as this is the original home of the festival. We’ll then venture to Chiang Mai to participate in both Loy Krathong and the Yi Peng festival of lanterns. Enjoy an authentic experience complete with traditional Thai food as well as an opportunity to float krathongs in the water and release lanterns into the sky for good luck!

Thailand’s Iconic Lantern Festival

Loy Krathong, known as Thailand’s Festival of Lights, dates back nearly 800 years and is one of the biggest festivals in the country. Taking place over one or two days, the people of Thailand celebrate by making krathongs, small lotus-shaped boats traditionally made from banana leaves and decorated with flowers that are then released along waterways as an offering of thanks to the Goddess of Water. The festival also includes firework shows, kathrong building competitions, beauty pageants, and more.

In Chiang Mai, we’ll experience both Loy Krathong and the Yi Peng Festival on the same day. Dating back to the thirteen century Lanna Kingdom, the Yi Peng Lantern Festival was traditionally celebrated to mark the end of the monsoon season and beginning of the cool season. Many locals view the festival as a way to release negative energy and wish for good luck and fortune in the coming year. The most popular and recognizable practice of the festival in the launch of thousands of lanterns into the night sky, but you can also expect to see rituals of worship, decoration contests, parades, traditional Thai dance shows, and live music.

With Discover Corps, you’ll experience the best of both worlds by attending festival celebrations in two different Thai cities!