SW celebrates Loy Krathong
By Itsarin Tisantia
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
This year’s Loy Krathong Festival will be held on November 17, and Thais will have the opportunity to float their buoyant, handmade krathongs. Loy Krathong is also a special time to pay respects to Phra Mae Khong Kha, the Goddess of Water, and to ask her for forgiveness for any acts that have harmed the country’s rivers.
This week’s Freeze Frame looks at Loy Krathong celebrations that took place in the City of Angels last year.
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A boat procession celebrating Loy Krathong cruises in front of Siriraj Hospital along the Chao Phraya River. |
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Locals prepare to float their krathongs at Rama VIII Bridge in Bang Phlat district. |
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People join in a procession to wrap a long red sacred cloth around the Phu Khao Thong pagoda as part of the annual Loy Krathong Festival at Saket Temple in Pom Prap district. |
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A large number of fireworks were launched around the Chao Phraya River in central Bangkok. |
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Locals shop for natural krathongs at Thailand’s largest flower market, Pak Khlong Talat, in Phra Nakorn district. |
Exercises
Read through Freeze Frame. Then, answer the following reading comprehension questions.
1. What is the largest flower market in Thailand called?
…………………
2. When does Loy Krathong Festival fall this year?
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3. What is the Goddess of Water’s name, according to the story?
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4. In what district is Rama VIII Bridge located?
…………………
Vocabulary
- wonder (n): a feeling of surprise and admiration that you have when you see or experience something beautiful or unusual
buoyant (adj): able to float or able to keep things floating
pagoda (n): a temple in the form of a tall tower with several levels
