Yi Peng lantern festival

Loy Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as Yi Peng. Yi means ‘two’ and peng means a ‘full moon day’. Yi Peng refers to the full moon day in the second month according to the Lanna lunar calendar (the twelfth month of the Thai lunar calendar).[32] The festival is meant as a time to make merit.

Swarms of sky lanterns (Thai: โคมลอย; RTGS: khom loi), literally: ‘floating lanterns’, are launched into the air. Khom loi are made from a thin fabric, such as rice paper, stretched over a bamboo or wire frame, to which a candle or fuel cell is attached. When the fuel cell is lit, the resulting hot air is trapped inside the lantern and creates enough lift for the khom loi to float into the sky. During the festival, some people also decorate their houses, gardens, and temples with khom fai (Thai: โคมไฟ), intricately shaped paper lanterns which take on different forms.

Chiang Mai Tips:

1. No need to buy tickets or pay. From Tha Phae Gate square along Tha Phae Road, down to the Ping River are all free festivities.
2. Parade along Tha Phae Road is free.
3. Can purchase Lanterns from vendors along the way.
4. Can purchase Krathong’s and release in the river across the bridge.
5. The old city hotels fill up, so book as soon as possible.

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