Buddhism is the official religion of Thailand, practiced by the King and an important part of what’s taught in schools here, too. But Hinduism also has a lot of influence in what Thai people choose to worship. For example, on Loy Krathong, the candles are for paying respect to the Lord Buddha, but the floats themselves are offerings to the Hindu water goddess. The festival is thought to have roots dating as far back as the 13th century.
This tradition is very connected to its environment. The meaning behind the festival is environmental in nature. It is meant for us to thank the water goddess for providing for us throughout the year as well as for us to apologize for polluting the water. Traditionally, krathong floats are made of natural materials like banana leaves and flowers. In recent years, however, people have started trying to make their krathongs bigger and better. To do that, they sometimes use unnatural materials such as styrofoam, staples, and plastic. These materials won’t decompose naturally into the pond or river. They end up getting collected out of the water a couple of days later, thrown in the trash, and taken to a landfill. So, a tradition that was meant to honor and thank nature may also be creating more pollution and waste. What do you think about this?
