'Miss, are you heading to Koh Phangan for the full moon party? It is going to be the most awesome one.'
I looked at the crowd around me gathering near all the boats. Some were still looking like crap from the binge drinking on the day before, others were fresh and still enthusiastic. But most of them..were super young hipsters. I thought about how much effort it had costed me to get out of bed at 6 am, and then I shook my head to the dude in front of me.
'Thanks but I will pass, I think it is better to go to a bit more calming place'
I thought about how weed was legalized in Thailand since June this year and how messed up everyone would be and that really was the quick answer of that I definitely did not want to be at a full moon party.
While I was eating in the dark I looked up at the pitch black sky and only the I saw it.
A half moon
Huh! But wasn't it a full moon party today? Had the dude been trying to scam me to head to Koh Phangan for a glimpse of a moon. I turned back towards my meal.
When I looked up at the sky again a while later the moon had a totally different shape. With a glow around it.
Could it be that there was a lunar eclipse going on and it was a full moon after all?
I headed towards the beach for an after dinner stroll (must do for digestion) and I was stumbling upon lights and sounds in the distance.
And floating lanterns.
Could it be that it was Loy Krathong, the Thai Light festival on this day?
When I was hearing the bands play and seeing the amount of people who were leaving little baskets and flower pieces and a candle in the sea, it just had to be. And was the light festival always on a full moon day then? I felt like a noob who had no idea what was going on
Loy Krathong
It did out to be the Loy Krathong festival. According to Wikipedia this festival is annually on the 12th moon of the year which this time happened be together with a lunar eclipse. Loy Krathong is known for letting these small flower pieces drift into the water as a sacrifice.
The traditional krathong used for floating at the festival are made from a slice of a banana tree trunk or a spider lily plant says and that was shown. I saw a lot of flower pieces tipping over in the sea and they all looked biodegradable. Only the candle and the incense sticks which are lighted will not be eaten by the fish in the sea.
This is how a bigger Krathong looks like
I got some beers and soaked up the scene around me. Loads of tables with Thai people had ordered big pitchers of beer to share with everyone, kids were running on the beach, and everyone seemed to get a Krathong to let them sail off in the sea.
Around the big stage there were all light images reflecting on the water. The scenery was actually really good and super peacefull.
I guess I ended up on a full moon party after all, but unintentially. And you know what..it was really fun, maybe I will dive into another full moon party after all.