Yi-Peng

Have you ever seen thousands of lovely Khom Loys or big lantern balloons foating on the full moon night? If you haven't you probably miss out on the traditional Yi-Peng festival. Yi-Peng Festival is celebrated during full moon in Chiangmai and Northern Thailand. It takes place during the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which usually lands in November. People believe that misfortune and bad luck will fly away with the floating lanterns or "Khom Loy". Yi-Peng is very important to the northern people because it is celebrated as a religious event and they make merit and perform religious activities.

"Yi-Peng"

Yi-Peng literally means the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. The Chiang-Mai "Yi-Peng"and "Loy Krathong", the festival of lights is organized annually by the Chiangmai Municipality.



Yi-Peng is different from Loy Krathong as the people in the north of Thailand use a coconut shell instead of a general Krathong, and in a coconut shell, there are only flowers and a candle in it. It is called "Kratong-Sai", and the reason that they use the coconut shell instead of bananas trunks and leaves because the coconut shells are abundant materials in the household.



To celebrate this auspicious festival, people make merit by floating Khom Loys and you will see them floating gently into the sky in the night. This will bring joy and happiness to the people as their unlucky has been floated away into the sky. Apart from floating Khom Loys, there are many other activities; for instance, contests of small and large Krathongs, Yi-Peng lantern procession, Yi-Peng Beauty Queen and Little Princess contests, walking the street market, bamboo raft and boat races on the Mae Ping River, Lanna Thai cultural presentations and folk performances. The children also enjoy burning firecrackers.

Yi-Peng is unique and probably the most famous festival which is the ritual of launching Lanna-style lantern balloons to the skies at night. It is widely considered to be among Thailand's most romantic festival celebrations. If you are planning to take a trip to celebrate the full moon night, this is one festival not to be missed.

References:
- http://www.thaifestivalblogs.com/festivals-of-thailand/yi-peng-festival.html
- http://www.thaipro.com/events_00/121_loi_krathong.htm
- http://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news.php?id=255211020002
http://expatblog.classifieds1000.com/Thailand/chiang_mai_festivals/20091022-214851-Yi-Peng-Festival- Loy-Krathong-in-Chiang-Mai
- http://www.bloggang.com/viewdiary.php?id=workandstudyabroad&month=12-2008&date=21&group=1&gblog=12