Loi Khratong
What would you wish for if a single lantern could carry your wish to heaven? Tonight, in northern Thailand, the Yi Peng festival gives you that opportunity. This centuries-old tradition of the ancient kingdom of Lanna celebrates the full moon of the twelfth lunar month with thousands of paper lanterns, the "khom loi", which are raised to honor Buddha. It is believed that each one takes the bad luck and opens the way to a brighter future.
While the children hold the lantern frames and the adults whisper blessings, the sky is lit with lights that rise higher than the trees. Further south, the same moon illuminates the Loy Krathong, the sister festival, where rafts with candles and flowers sail gently on the water.
A magical place to live, Yi Peng is home to the Phra That Hariphunchai temple in Lamphun, founded in 897 by King Hariphunchai to house a lock of Buddha's hair. Its golden stupa still stands, surrounded by centuries of art and devotion.
