Loy Krathong

Hello. My name is Noppamas. I lived a long, long time ago in a beautiful, sunny kingdom called Sukhothai. We had a big, sparkling river that flowed through our home. The river was so kind. It gave everyone cool water to drink and helped all the pretty flowers grow big and bright. I loved our river very much. I wanted to find a special way to say 'thank you' to the water for all its wonderful gifts. I thought and thought about what would make the river happy.

I decided to make a special gift. I found a big, green leaf from a banana tree. It was smooth and wide, perfect for my idea. I folded it carefully, fold, fold, fold, until it looked like a little boat. I went to the garden and picked the most beautiful flowers I could find. There were pink flowers, yellow flowers, and sweet-smelling white flowers. I put them all inside my little leaf boat. Then, I added a tiny candle to shine a bright light and a little stick that smelled sweet, like incense. I was so happy and excited. My little boat looked beautiful and was ready for the river.

When the moon was big, round, and bright in the night sky, I carried my gift down to the water. I gently placed my little boat on the river and gave it a little push. It floated away, and its little candle twinkled on the water like a tiny star. The king saw my beautiful floating gift and he smiled a very big smile. He loved it. The king said that every year, on the night of the full moon of the 12th month, everyone in the kingdom would make a special floating gift to thank the water. And that is how our festival, Loy Krathong, began. It is a way for everyone to remember to be thankful for nature's gifts.