1. Keeping the Spirit Afloat: Cultural Hybridity and the Redesigning of Ritual By Diem Dangers Final Project for Graduate Course in Environmental Arts & Education Lesley University
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4. Loy Krathong is a traditional Thai festival. It is held on a full moon night after the rainy season when the rivers are flowing.
5. In Thailand the main crop grown is rice, and Loy Krathong is one ritual held to give thanks to the river goddess, Mae Khongha , for providing water for the crops.
6. “ Loy” means to float, and “Krathong” is the little boat.
7. The Krathong is made of local natural biodegradable materials in season: the base is made of a banana tree trunk, the decorations are made of coconut leaves, forget-me-not flowers, orchids, toothpicks, candle and incense sticks
8. There are many different varieties of Krathongs. Some are small for individuals and couples to float…
9. Others are much larger and can be made of many different creative materials…
10. In Chiang Mai, the ceremony includes the lighting of giant lanterns…
13. The krathongs are made the night before or a few days prior to the event. The boat is made of the trunk of a banana tree and banana leaves are folded in traditional ways to make patterns and designs to decorate the boat.
16. It’s a ceremony that brings the whole community together, to dance, float the Krathongs, sing the Loy Krathong Song, in celebration of mother nature.
17. Coming to the United States, and no longer in a rice-paddy culture, I tried to think of ways to keep the essence of Loy Krathong while still holding true to its purpose which is to use natural resources, and to give thanks to Mother Nature….
18. It seemed to me that November wouldn’t be a good time to celebrate Loy Krathong in New England because the water would be frozen. However, late Spring is a wonderful time of year to be celebrating nature since it marks the end of the cold winter months, and there are many flowers and natural resources to use.
19. I like all kinds of flowers, but particularly daisies because they make me think of the flower generation during the 1960’s
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21. Also sunflowers are so beautiful, bright and festive and represent the next season: Summer. I decided to also use sunflowers in my American Krathong to represent the birth of a new Loy Krathong In America.
22. I found it interesting to see people use wreathes made of natural materials at Christmas and other occasions. The circular shape reminded me of the Krathong and so I decided to creatively use it to redesign Loy Krathong for a New England Spring celebration…
24. Creating the Krathong using these local materials was exciting, because it was relevant, and meaningful in the local context, and made much more sense than trying to find banana leaves…
25. I also thought about some other Spring festivals. Easter came to mind and I decided I should also add some Easter Eggs to the Krathong… The Eggs could also symbolize birth of a new celebration… Loy Krathong Flower Power style….
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27. The idea would be to have the Krathongs float on the Mystic River, Medford Massachusetts near to where I live sometime in the Spring….
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