Loi Krathong Festival

Loi Krathong Festival is perhaps one of the most mesmerizing and magical sights to be seen in Phuket. This is Thailand’s ‘Festival of Lights and it generally takes place in N0vember, the 12th month in the Thai lunar calendar.

Loi means ‘to float’ and Krathong is a decorative container usually made out of  flowers, and completed with candles and incense sticks; they are usually made to resemble lotus flowers. Come the evening of the full moon in the 12th month then Phuket becomes a truly enchanting world. On almost all areas of water the Krathong are lit and floated out across the water and the sight of thousands of flickering lights greets you.  The nearer to the coast you are, you may be able to see these ‘fairy ballrooms’ extending out for miles into the ocean, so owning a Phuket Beach Bungalow will be a definite plus in this instance!

The festival has been celebrated for around 800 years and the idea behind the kratongs is that you put your worries and negative energy into the carrier, and allow them to literally float away. The coming year will then bring good fortune. It is sometimes considered promising to put something of a personal nature into the kratong, such as a lock of hair, to encourage good luck, or to place a coin inside to merit good fortune.

There is also thought to be an added bonus to fortune hunters on the West Coast!. Even though owning a phuket luxury villa on Naithon Beach is a sign of good fortune itself, the beaches on the west side of Phuket generally have an off-shore breeze blowing at this time of year, which will help give your wishes a boost, as if your krathong doesn’t float away or meanders, then that is a sign that your luck in the coming year may not be completely secure!