Loy Krathong

At the weekend I went with Pat to the Loy Krathong festival at the Buddhapadipa temple in Wimbledon. The centrepoint of the festival (which falls on a full moon in november) is the launching of small hand-made rafts equipped with candles and incense. The rafts (krathongs) are traditionally made from banana tree trunk, though ours were made from styrofoam adorned with thin paper leaves. Releasing the rafts is a way of letting go of anger and bad things, and of giving thanks to the river.