Loi Krathong

me with our krathong

Last Wednesday was the Thai holiday known as Loi Krathong. The holiday involves the release of little floats (krahtongs) made out of bread or banana tree into a body of water.. Many people put toe nail clippings or pieces of hair on their rafts to symbolize the release of anything dirty or sinful. The release of the rafts is supposed to symbolize letting go of any grudges or bad feelings, and to make a wish for the year to come. It is a time where family comes together to eat food, watch (or maybe partake in) beauty pageants, and set off lots of fireworks.

Angry Birds krathongs made from bread

My friends and I went to two Loi Krathong celebrations. One that was a large market and a carnival by our guesthouse, and the other which was across the street from the school in which I teach. We did not set off our krathongs until we got to the second celebration, as we felt better and "more Thai" by letting go of our sins into one of the rivers that makes Ayutthaya an island. My friends and I were all novices, and sheepishly lit the candles and incense on our kratongs while trying to slyly watch the experienced Thai people release their krathongs into the river. Some of the families went out into the middle of the river on a boat, but we decided to stay ashore. Upon kneeling down on the edge of the dock, we noticed many little boys swimming in the water and carrying out krathongs of families that would tip them, ensuring that their sins and grudges be carried down the river.

Kate and I about to release our lantern

Loy Krathongalso falls on the same day as a lantern holiday in northern Thailand. Though this holiday is primarily celebrated in Chiang Mai, the idea of releasing lanterns into the sky has become a symbol of Thailand and good luck. Kate and I had seen gorgeous pictures of lanterns being released in Chiang Mai and decided to release one of our own. Though our lantern joined only a few other lanterns in the night sky, it was still cool to release one and look up at the sky throughout the night and see tiny orange dots that were other people's wishes of good luck.

After releasing our beautiful floral banana tree krathong and  our good luck lantern, we went up to a parking lot that is generally a market at night, that was turned into a fair ground complete with bright lights and 2 stages for performances and a beauty pageant.

away goes our lantern!

Besides celebrating Thai holidays (The King's birthday/father's day is on Wednesday and constitution day is December 10), I have been teaching and really enjoying it. My students are for the most part entertaining, and I have some real sweethearts. Last week as I was exiting the cafeteria, four of my tiniest and most adorable students swarmed me and began jabbering in Thai. One of the hardest parts of teaching at a Thai school is that I cannot connect with most of my students because of the language barrier. So instead, my time at school--actually, most of my time in Thailand--is a giant game of charades with a few English words mixed in. My students began pointing to the fifth floor of the building in front of them, where their classroom is, and continually said the word "drop!" "Are they telling me about an egg drop?" I thought. They then began to grab my arms and yell "lift! lift!" as they led me over to the elevator. I said to them, "you want me to lift you somewhere? Am I going to get in trouble? Are you tricking me?!" Of course none of this was understood so I got into the elevator and they jumped up to hit the "5" button on the elevator. I walked hurriedly down the hall with my pint-sized companions, and ended up in their classroom where there were several women sweeping up debris from a giant hole that had formed in the ceiling. "OH," I said. "A man dropped through the roof."

The hole in the ceiling

The poor M1/1's classroom is still closed off, and the school is still undergoing a massive paint job (as to why there was a painter on the roof) on the bamboo scaffolding around the school. The event of a painter causally falling through a roof would never happen in the United States, but because everyone is safe and sound, this is just another "only in Thailand" type of story that makes every day an adventure.

scaffolding on the side of the school...safety regulations are clearly MUCH different