Loy Krathong, stripped down

Maiyuu and I floated a romantic krathong (banana leaf boat) to mark Loy Krathong Day, but we did it a little differently from the rest.

As we get older, or spend longer together (I am not sure which), we have started marking festivals such as Loy Krathong in the most minimalist, pain-free style we can muster.

Last year, we shunned the crowds on the Chao Phraya River banks, where many Thais go to float a krathong, for the simplicity of home.

Maiyuu bought two krathongs, and we floated them in the bathtub instead.

Isn't that too basic to be called a Loy Krathong celebration, I hear you ask?

A little more effort is involved, dear reader. We light candles and incense sticks on the top, hold them to our heads and make a small prayer.

Only then do set them afloat.

Where the prayer thing is concerned, I follow Maiyuu’s lead, as I don’t want to look gauche.

Last night Maiyuu bought two krathongs, but instead of running the bath, as we did last year, we opted for an even simpler solution: we filled a black washing tub instead, stuck it in the bath, and floated our krathongs in the tub.

‘I can’t be bothered running the bath,’ said Maiyuu.

I agreed, as it was already after midnight by the time we decided to observe the ceremony.

As he charged the tub with water, I watched a live broadcast on TV of loy krathong festivities elsewhere in the country.

The Chiang Mai celebrations - or should I say, the young men and women parading about town in traditional Lanna dress – looked great.

I was taking an eyefull of handsome students from a Chiang Mai university, holding a banner aloft as they wandered about bare-chested, when Maiyuu told me it was time we did our thing.

‘Okay,’ said Maiyuu, summoning me into the bathroom.

He lit the candles on my float, and asked me to hold it while he did his business.

He lit his own, and knelt on the floor.

Maiyuu held the float to his head, said a silent prayer, and set the thing afloat in the tub.

I followed his example.

I don’t know what he said in his little prayer, but mine was in the nature of a New Year wish:

‘Stop causing your boyfriend grief, and try to make his life happy in the year ahead.’

 Here's last year's Loy Krathong post.