Loi Kratong in Chiang Mai, Thailand

In my neighborhood, when you're awoken at night by what sounds like either the Burmese Army invasion, or another government coup, you know it's Loi Kratong festival time. It's one of the two main festivals in Chiang Mai, and it attracts many people from around the country. One of the main things people do is give an offering to the River Goddess. As a historian friend pointed out, this is actually an old Indian tradition based on the story of Rama who gave a similar offering in the Ramayama--many rivers are considered sacred in India. Thais got the tradition from the Khmer who took on Hinduism. And the offering (a little floaty thing called a kratong) is considered a prayer that washes away your sins. It's ashamed that not too long ago these little prayer boats were made out of plastic! Poor River Goddess, clocking on all that! They've recently campaigned to have the kratongs made of biodegradable materials like coconut husks, palm leaves and flowers. BigA is holding one below:

People also send these kon loi into the sky.

And yes, the fireworks are another part of it. Kids have been blowing their limbs off for years, all in good fun. People throw them off at all hours, and things are especially loud close to the Ping River. I'm not far from it, but far enough away that a good set of earplugs got me through the worst. A colleague living right on the river invited us to her place on the main night. She was so nice, and provided dinner for us. I don't know how she was such a good host, as she said she had barely gotten any sleep in a week from the fireworks going off! Here are some pics from the river. Listen below to the sounds of Loi Kratong at night:

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Red Tips | If you're visiting Chiang Mai for the Loi Kratong, and are around the Ping River area, bring some good earplugs! The firecrakers and fireworks can get very loud. Although quite fun, it can also can get quite crowded with tourists and Thais visiting from different parts of the country, so you may want to make arrangements in advance. Check out Chiang Mai Hotels for a wide range of options and prices.