On the 24th of this month Thailand will celebrate the festival of Loy Kratong. It is a Buddhist celebration honoring the Lord Budda. Among other things, it includes the ceremony of floating down river a floral arrangement with one lit candle and three burning sticks of incense.

Source: Asian Cultural Center of Vermont

This ceremony is intended to symbolize the letting go of all negative in one’s life and starting fresh. It is also believed to bring good luck, and like our birth day celebrations, participants make a wish.

It is not my purpose to cover all the details of Loy Kratong. In this post there are links to other web sites with much more detail and/or photos. You can also Google “Loy Kratong” or “Loy Kratong gay” for a wealth of information on the subject.

If just visiting Thailand, during the festival, I highly recommend experiencing it. For those of you planning to live in Thailand, I have something extremely important to share with you.

Thais take this celebration very seriously. Thus, if you have been seeing a Thai boy, at a level beyond that of a one night stand, and he invites you to participate in this ceremony with him, it means he REALLY likes you. It is a sincere gesture you should take note of. What you do with this information is up to you. Just realize the boy is making a statement, and if you have not told him otherwise he probably assumes you are completely unaware of just how heartfelt it is. That is what makes it so very special.

Photo Courtesy of Asia Boy

That said, keep in mind Thais also believe when romantic couples, married or otherwise, perform the ceremony together, it will enhance the longevity of their relationship.

Loy Kratong at Wikipedia

Loy Kratong Photos