Loy Krathong in Udon .

This year because of the many people who have returned to Udon early to avoid the floods the council have decided to make Loy Krathong a three day festival starting tomorrow, the 8th, at Nong Prajak with a music festival and several beauty competitions, going on to the 10th.

Have fun !

If anyone takes pictures or video of Loy Krathong in Udon could you please update this post with links? Im unable to be in Udon this year for the holiday and would love to see what Loy Krathong was like. Thanks!

Great idea Rideswings. I would also like to be at a Udon loy krathong in the future.
I hear Songkran is a thing to avoid, but loy krathong sounds nice.

Well it looks like the floods have prevented me from going to the remembrance service in Kanchanaburi this year so will be in the vicinity of Nong Prajak with my camera at the ready on the 10th . Hopefully will be able to capture the moment for those unable to be with us .

For those who haven't read his piece in the magazine (paper or on-line), Jeff Petry wrote up a nice piece on Loy Kratong, available at http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaninews/loy-kratong/

The community center in my village was busy today with preparations for the amphur's loy kratong festival to be held tonight. I took a few closeup photos of the elaborate detail in the kratong. One of the ladies was even adding a dab of olive oil (น้ำมันมะกอก) to give it a special shine. Each small village in the amphur will float a kratong....with prizes given for the best of the best.
I'd guess that this sort of community spirit still exists in most villages today, but probably dies out the closer you get to the big cities. For me, it's what makes living in Thailand special.

This was my first Loy Krathong, and I have to say, it was a LOT of fun. Had dinner near the lake with friends, then enjoyed the celebrations. Other than being WAY to crowded for a newbie farang, the whole experience was quite enjoyable...like a cross between a bazaar and a county fair. I did shoot some video and pictures, though I am not sure how they came out. I also did not shoot a lot of the crowd, because I was not sure how the Thai people would take a farang taking pictures of them. I will post a link here where I get the pics/videos uploaded, if any of them are worth seeing.

KB

Now Im really homesick for Udon.

I don't like to post negatively but that was a ruddy disgrace for a Loy Krathong celebration .I didn't take a single photograph. It was my tenth here in Udon and over 20th in Thailand . I won't attempt to compare it with the traditional celebration in Sukhothai so will limit my comments to my Udon experiences .This year it was no more than yet another opportunity to hold one of those ubiquitous street markets selling every thing from pots and pans to second hand clothing. The stalls were lined up three, sometime four wide, down the entire length of the street. Making normal access almost impossible. The display of sponsored floats, normally held on the lake and illuminated from within, was reduced to half a dozen comparatively insignificant offerings reduced to a static display at the side of the already overcrowded street .
No where did I see a lady in those lovely traditional Thai LK dresses , not one . Apparently the powers that be decide not to have any beauty competitions for adults this year, but limited it to a small contest for mother with child held on the normal stage used every day for the aerobics .In fact no activity whatever took place inside the actual park at all.
The decision to make it a three day occasion obviously might have led to some events taking place on previous evenings, which I might have missed , along with many others . Listening to one of the organisers talking, the reason for extending the festival was to accommodate the extra people in town, escaping the floods in Bangkok, but the cynical side of me couldn't see the connection here, but it did occur to me that 3 nights rent from the market is obviously better than one .The road from Thung Sri Muang to Nong Prajak being closed to traffic to facilitate those that were visiting the OTOP fair there, to attend both, added to the impression of commercialism .
I know my views are those of a traditionalist but anyone who has experienced the real Loy Krathong night will be as disappointed as I at this descent into total money making without regard to the long tradition behind the original festival .
Thankfully I have the memories and photographs from previous years to remember what Loy Krathong used to be .

I agree 100% with TB and others of like mind. LK used to be a a time when Thai culture ruled and everyone had fun ( not fun by spending money ) but fun with all Adults and children alike enjoying a festive time asking for all bad things to go away.
Unfortunately in Udon at Nong Prajak you have to run the gauntlet of the stalls and even the gauntlet of those whop view LK as a means of making money, which is NOT the original way, so this year i went to a small village I know and spent a pleasant evening enjoying LK overseen by the local monks who were in as good humour as everyone else a truely enjoyable cultural time.

So for me LK in Udon is an event to be missed.

We decided to give Nong Prajak a miss this year and celebrate it closer to home at one of the smaller village lakes.

Nice pictures Lee.

"this descent into total money making without regard to the long tradition behind the original festival ." TB I guess the same could be said about Christmas.

parrot wrote:For those who haven't read his piece in the magazine (paper or on-line), Jeff Petry wrote up a nice piece on Loy Kratong, available at http://www.udonmap.com/udonthaninews/loy-kratong/

The community center in my village was busy today with preparations for the amphur's loy kratong festival to be held tonight. I took a few closeup photos of the elaborate detail in the kratong. One of the ladies was even adding a dab of olive oil (น้ำมันมะกอก) to give it a special shine. Each small village in the amphur will float a kratong....with prizes given for the best of the best.
I'd guess that this sort of community spirit still exists in most villages today, but probably dies out the closer you get to the big cities. For me, it's what makes living in Thailand special.

Good photos Parrot,enjoyed similar at TW's hometown,neighbour came second in the competition,received 4k baht but it cost them 3k baht to make.Nong Sung was packed to the rafters so good to avoid intown mayhem.

Yes very nice pictures Lee. it does look as though the real flavour Of Loy Krathong is only to be found in the countryside these days.

trubrit...your post makes me wonder what I am missing. As I said, it was my first, and I found it enjoyable. Perhaps there is a load more to it than what I saw though. I saw a lot of people, men, women and children, having fun and being together. Very little in the way of cross people, and even with the crowds, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. My only complaint was with the music (if you wish to call it that). A Thai group trying (key word: trying) to play metal was just annoying on many fronts...not the least of which is that it was WAY too loud.

I do hope to be able to experience that which you post about, so maybe next year we will find a smaller outlying area. Thanks for sharing your experience.

KB