Loi Kratong Yee Peng Ceremony at Mae Jo

[watgate]

Does anyone know when the Loy Kratong festival at Mae Jo, where 1000's of Kom Loys are released into the nightime sky, is this year? I am talking about the free one and not the one held where you have to pay around 3000 baht for the festivities.

Edited October 8, 2015 by watgate

[heybruce]

It's always hard to get that information in advance. There is a full moon on Wednesday, November 25, so my guess is Saturday, November 21. That is only a guess.

[narkeddiver]

Whatever the date is I recommend getting there early, very early - it gets crazy busy

[thai006]

i will bring my family to cm for loy krathong , i see at mae jo but i saw on internet people sya 3000b for people to come there ?

free for thai and 3000b for falang >?

[Ricardo]

FWIW Mrs Ricardo , who usually makes a reasonable sum from motorbike-parking/use-of-a-loo/renting-space for drinks-sales, says they aren't planning a free night for locals this year, and that the paid-for night for rich/stupid tourists will be B4,000 !

This info is just local-rumour, I would add, but bad news if it turns out to be true.

[MaeJoMTB]

They deliberately obscure the date of the real event to discourage tourists attending. Not only foreign but Thai. The event is always on a Saturday, up to one or two weeks before the full moon.

Three possible dates at the moment .. 7 ... 14 .... 21.

I live right by it.

Edited October 9, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[CMSteve]

on T.A., its says the local/free event is Nov 22, but no lanterns. The International one is Nov 25, but long since sold out.

[CMSteve]

cm108 is saying the local event is on the 21st, but no lanterns.

[matta]

Wednesday 25 november

[Genericnic]

cm108 is saying the local event is on the 21st, but no lanterns.

I understand why no lanterns (fire hazard, interference with aircraft, etc.) but it does seem like a bit of a useless exercise without them.

David

[heybruce]

The night of the full moon, Wednesday November 25, is the official date of Loi Kratong. It is not the date of the big lantern release at Mae Jo.

[Mapguy]

FWIW Mrs Ricardo , who usually makes a reasonable sum from motorbike-parking/use-of-a-loo/renting-space for drinks-sales, says they aren't planning a free night for locals this year, and that the paid-for night for rich/stupid tourists will be B4,000 !

This info is just local-rumour, I would add, but bad news if it turns out to be true.

This might be more than a local rumor. I have heard from the usual "reliable source" that there will only be the $$$$$$ paid event. Want to know the answer? Call the wat, or drop by. Not so far away. Otherwise, this thread must be worth at least 100 posts!

Otherwise, if you plan on launching anywhere within a radius of about 1km of the airport, you might get in trouble on certain nights. Iam most certainly off on the distance, but you get the idea. It is dangerous. I haven't got the energy to look, but there is a previous thread (last year) talking about new regs, and I would expect more information to be publshed soon.

Sounds like the wat has a fund-raising gold mine! Probably $100 a pop!

Edited October 9, 2015 by Mapguy

[MaeJoMTB]

Sounds like the wat has a fund-raising gold mine! Probably $100 a pop!

It isn't a wat, there is no temple there ........ it is a privately run meditation center (Dhamma Foundation).

"The sky lantern release at Mae Jo is arranged by a private Buddhist group, Duangtawan Santiparp Foundation in association with Tudongkasatan Lanna (Lanna Meditation Sanctuary). DSF are a Buddhist sect who specialize in large-scale events that are particularly photogenic and targeted to attract media coverage"

From

http://asia-backpackers.com/the-difference-between-yi-peng-mae-jo/

This site gives the most comprehensive explanation of the events I have seen.

Edited October 10, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[robertgray000]

So does anyone know the date of this event yet?

Also is it true that they have banned the lanterns this year?

Thanks

[PostmanPat]

Yes. The Authorities have banned the lanterns using the current restriction on tourists having fun and a good time in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is believed to be officially changing its name to "Bloody Miserable Mai". That fits so well with current attitudes here.

[CMSteve]

Here's the full schedule in Thai: SCHEDULE

So does anyone know the date of this event yet?

Also is it true that they have banned the lanterns this year?

Thanks

[MaeJoMTB]

Here's the full schedule in Thai: SCHEDULE

So does anyone know the date of this event yet?

Also is it true that they have banned the lanterns this year?

Thanks

That's the CM Loy Kratong schedule.

The MaeJo Dhamma event is completely separate.

Do I remember you being some sort of Shill for the 'paid' MaeJo event?

I seem to remember you from last year.

Quick search ......

Here it is, judge for yourself folks .......

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762132-loi-krathong-and-yi-peng-2014/

Edited October 13, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[CMSteve]

I'm not quite sure what you mean? Can you expand?

Here's the full schedule in Thai: SCHEDULE

So does anyone know the date of this event yet?
Also is it true that they have banned the lanterns this year?

Thanks

That's the CM Loy Kratong schedule.
The MaeJo Dhamma event is completely separate.

Do I remember you being some sort of Shill for the 'paid' MaeJo event?
I seem to remember you from last year.

Quick search ......
Here it is, judge for yourself folks .......
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762132-loi-krathong-and-yi-peng-2014/

[Ricardo]

Mrs Ricardo says the rumoured date for the free event is now reckoned to be the 21st, but no lanterns allowed ! W.T.F. ?

[heybruce]

Mrs Ricardo says the rumoured date for the free event is now reckoned to be the 21st, but no lanterns allowed ! W.T.F. ?

Perhaps they want to make it less of a tourist event and more of a religious ceremony. Based on the crowds there two years ago (I passed on it last year) I would understand why.

[MaeJoMTB]

Mrs Ricardo says the rumoured date for the free event is now reckoned to be the 21st, but no lanterns allowed ! W.T.F. ?

Perhaps they want to make it less of a tourist event and more of a religious ceremony. Based on the crowds there two years ago (I passed on it last year) I would understand why.

I go every year, as I live by it.

Tourists are about 1 in 100 of the attendees.

Mostly local Thais and the MaeJo university students.

[heybruce]

Mrs Ricardo says the rumoured date for the free event is now reckoned to be the 21st, but no lanterns allowed ! W.T.F. ?

Perhaps they want to make it less of a tourist event and more of a religious ceremony. Based on the crowds there two years ago (I passed on it last year) I would understand why.

I go every year, as I live by it.

Tourists are about 1 in 100 of the attendees.

Mostly local Thais and the MaeJo university students.

I have my doubts about the 1 in 100 number, but rather than debate the local vs tourist composition, I'll just say that in the five times I went from 2009 to 2013, the crowds got bigger, the traffic worse, and respect for the religious aspect of the program declined.

[heybruce]

I assume if the event will happen it will be this weekend. Does anyone have any information about it?

[jobin]

Wednesday, 25 November!! That's Thanksgiving Eve so watch for flying turkeys in the night sky. They will be very large but on tethers just to be safe. No loose turkeys allowed in T'land.

[Puwa]

Bottom line for me is that it is too cheesy and commercialized to have any significance. Just a photo-op really. But if anyone does go, my advice is to wear a hat. Shortly after the mass release, there's a rain of hot paraffin and ash dripping from the sky. It's like napalm, and it sends people running for their cars. The serenity of the photo op gets shattered pretty quickly. If you bring a young child, you'll probably carry him or her on your shoulders to navigate the crowd, so make sure the kid has a wide-brimmed hat, too.

The purpose of LK or Yee Peng is to float your bad karma away (as if such a thing were in any way possible according to the Dharma), on the water or the air. From a Buddhist point of view, it's a personal, individual act, not a communal one. It's not like going Christmas caroling. In Buddhism, your karma is your own. It doesn't matter if you float a rubber ducky with a candle in its beak in your bathtub, or shell out a hundred bucks to try to burn down someone else's house (sala cafe last year, the old palace by the river before that).

As for me, I'll be on the porch with a copy of the mahaparinibbana suttanta, a blunt, and a garden hose.

[elektrified]

Bottom line for me is that it is too cheesy and commercialized to have any significance. Just a photo-op really. But if anyone does go, my advice is to wear a hat. Shortly after the mass release, there's a rain of hot paraffin and ash dripping from the sky. It's like napalm, and it sends people running for their cars. The serenity of the photo op gets shattered pretty quickly. If you bring a young child, you'll probably carry him or her on your shoulders to navigate the crowd, so make sure the kid has a wide-brimmed hat, too.

The purpose of LK or Yee Peng is to float your bad karma away (as if such a thing were in any way possible according to the Dharma), on the water or the air. From a Buddhist point of view, it's a personal, individual act, not a communal one. It's not like going Christmas caroling. In Buddhism, your karma is your own. It doesn't matter if you float a rubber ducky with a candle in its beak in your bathtub, or shell out a hundred bucks to try to burn down someone else's house (sala cafe last year, the old palace by the river before that).

As for me, I'll be on the porch with a copy of the mahaparinibbana suttanta, a blunt, and a garden hose.

About 8 years ago I went out for Loy Krathong and at some point ended up on Sapaan Narawat. This was a time when it was still reasonably fun to be out without the crazy crowds of people like today. All of a sudden 3 Thais came running over to me and started fanning me and hitting me with jackets. People were staring at me. One guy poured water on my back. I honestly had no idea what was going on! Turns out that some of that napalm-like substance landed on the back of my shirt and my shirt was on fire. Funny thing was I didn't feel the heat or notice the flame at all!

Stupidly I was wearing my favorite Italian shirt that cost me more than 100 Euros in Italy. Lesson learned...wear cheap clothes on Loy Krathong.

Yes, avoid the Mae Jo thing. It was fun 6-8 years ago. Now it's a circus for Chinese tourists (and very dangerous place to be should there be a fire). There is only one exit and in a panic there could be a stampede in the darkness.

[MaeJoMTB]

Yes, avoid the Mae Jo thing. It was fun 6-8 years ago. Now it's a circus for Chinese tourists (and very dangerous place to be should there be a fire). There is only one exit and in a panic there could be a stampede in the darkness.

Funny, I've been every year for the last 6 years, never seen ANY CHINESE tourists there, not one.

Almost all Thai.

Never seen any 'wax' or fire problems either.

Have seen a crowded footbridge collapse in the Klong ....... nobody seemed to be hurt.

Agree about the panic and stampede possibility.

Talking about the real event, not the fake tourist $100 event.

Edited November 19, 2015 by MaeJoMTB

[heybruce]

I've been five times from 2009 through 2013 and neither I nor anyone in the groups I was with were splattered with hot wax. I'm sure it happens, but it's not a common event that sends people running for their cars. It is potentially dangerous and not suitable for small children or drunks--it's good that alcohol is banned. However I stopped going not because of the risks, which I consider acceptable, but because of the crowds.

Is there any information on the actual mass release of lanterns--as in, will it be allowed?

[MaeJoMTB]

I've been five times from 2009 through 2013 and neither I nor anyone in the groups I was with were splattered with hot wax. I'm sure it happens, but it's not a common event that sends people running for their cars. It is potentially dangerous and not suitable for small children or drunks--it's good that alcohol is banned. However I stopped going not because of the risks, which I consider acceptable, but because of the crowds.

Is there any information on the actual mass release of lanterns--as in, will it be allowed?

Real event (expected) this Saturday, just chanting, Khom Loys forbidden.

Wife unhappy, she usually makes 3,000bht selling Khom Loys, no profit this year.

[heybruce]

I've been five times from 2009 through 2013 and neither I nor anyone in the groups I was with were splattered with hot wax. I'm sure it happens, but it's not a common event that sends people running for their cars. It is potentially dangerous and not suitable for small children or drunks--it's good that alcohol is banned. However I stopped going not because of the risks, which I consider acceptable, but because of the crowds.

Is there any information on the actual mass release of lanterns--as in, will it be allowed?

Real event (expected) this Saturday, just chanting, Khom Loys forbidden.

Wife unhappy, she usually makes 3,000bht selling Khom Loys, no profit this year.

That will definitely eliminate the crowds, and the fun.