Once upon a time, we first got on Loy Kratnog holiday and Yipeng festival, which take place on the same dates. We have already written an article about this and I will repeat what these events are, I will not now. Two years later, I again found myself in Chiang Mai for these holidays and found myself in the thick of things, so I really want to share fresh photos from there. Although about 3 months have already passed since that moment (all my hands did not reach to put it on the blog), all this extravaganza of light and sound is still alive in my memory, as if it were yesterday. Although I am not a fan of being in a crowd, for a while, sometimes I want to plunge into this unbridled fun, given that everyone behaves kindly and there are almost no drunk people.
In 2012, the action in Chiang Mai took place on November 27-29, although in total people launched krathongs into the water (small rafts with a candle) and kkhom loi into the sky (sky lanterns) all week. And the main parade and the maximum number of lanterns were on November 28. The date changes every year because it is tied to the lunar calendar, or rather to the full moon of the 12th month. It seems that this always happens in November. If you are looking for a date, then first of all it is worth looking at the official sites or specifically for Chiang Mai here at this link. As I understand it, everything will happen on November 16-18, 2013.
By the way, I remind you that the photos on the blog in new articles are 1200 pixels wide, and by clicking on the photo you can view them on the whole screen in large size, flipping from one to another.
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival
The photos will not go in chronological order, but interspersed. The fact is, I was at two parades (on the 27th and 28th), and although they may have completely different meanings for the locals, they are very similar for foreigners, so there is no point in distinguishing them. Well, the launch of kratongs and sky lanterns is an interesting sight on any day..
Before the Loy Krathong parade, obligatory stage performances
The parade moves very slowly, all the time stops to take pictures
The girl's smile became tighter with each hour
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival
Colorful platforms with decorations and mummers
The parade is a long procession of pedestrians and car platforms
The monks are right there, collecting milk
Kratong rafts of various models
Stop every few minutes to rest
Fire Breathing Boys
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival
Poor children, beautiful, but it feels like they are about to faint
There is a generator and a remote control behind each platform
Extravaganza of light and sound
On a long exposure, lanterns trace glowing stripes in the sky.
Fireworks, flashlights, firecrackers, everything around is noisy and shining
Loy Krathong - launching rafts into the water
The current is weak, so there are a lot of helpers in the water
The river looks, of course, not very
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival - view from the bridge
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival
Be sure to take a picture of your flashlight
And you can also write some wish
A very positive toy person
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival in Thailand
Some kind of surreal photo turned out, without processing
Even banks decorate their territory on this holiday
Loy Krathong and Yipeng Festival in Chiang Mai
Two friends are sitting on the fortress wall and looking at the lanterns flying in the sky, romance
Long exposure and zoom experiments
The extravaganza of sound cannot be conveyed by photographs, but I can say that it was very noisy, especially near the river, where basically all the people were. The noise was not from the people themselves, but from the fireworks and firecrackers, the smoke sometimes hurt your eyes. The only thing that bothered when some Thai or Farang put a big firecracker pouring liquid fire right in the center of the crowd, and just have time to run away from the sparks. I remember doing this on the bridge all the time, while I photographed the launch of kratongs. So the radius of action of the sparks coincided with the width of the bridge, so we had to press straight into the fence, but this did not help either..
And it still surprises me why they don't have fires ...
Fire safety rules are not followed
You lie asleep, and a flashlight flies through the window to you
Separate flashlights launch
Surely everyone has seen pictures of sky lanterns from Thailand on the Internet, when they are just dark in the sky. It turns out that these photographs are only indirectly related to the Loy Krathong and Yipeng festivals. The fact is that such a launch is being made on a separate territory outside the city and it is not spontaneous, as in Chiang Mai, but planned. Moreover, there are two such launches, the first is training and free for local, the second for foreign tourists and for money ($ 80-3000). Not weak, huh? See http://www.yeepenglanna.net/ for all information on this organized event.
My friends and I went to a free launch, but due to traffic jams, a huge crowd, and the fact that we were from the site across the river (and the bridges are far away), we did not have time to get to the epicenter by the very beginning, and therefore I missed all the most interesting and could not photograph. It's a shame, of course, but with my eyes I still saw everything from afar. Awesome mass launch indeed, but $ 3,000 is definitely not worth it. Therefore, if you go, drive a lot in advance and for a free launch for local.
The darkness of lanterns in the sky - Yeepeng Lanna International
Lantern Launch - Yeepeng Lanna International
Everyone who did not get to the main site launches anywhere
Because of this river and the bridge, on which there was a huge queue, I did not get to the other side
P.S. Anyone who has not seen this holiday even once, I highly recommend visiting. Only book hotels in advance, preferably several months in advance, otherwise there may not be free rooms. And in order to navigate a little, I recommend our overview of guesthouses in the historical center of the city.
P.S.S In the top of the best places, it is the northern cities such as Chiang Mai and Sukhothai, not the southern ones. I have nothing to compare with, but judging by the stories, in Chiang Mai everything is much larger.
