The Loi Krathong festival just ended here in Thailand. This festival is held every year on the full moon of the twelfth lunar month. Another festival here in Chiang Mai that is celebrated around the same time is Yi Peng. Loi krathong means to float an offering. A krathong is a banana-leaf boat that is intricately folded and decorated and holds coins, flowers, incense and candles. One that I saw had a sparkler flickering on it.

This festival is a time of merit making and spirit appeasement. During Yi Peng, many hot-air balloon lanterns are released into the night sky. They look like hundreds of floating stars. As the Thai people light the fuel cells beneath their lanterns and hold them before letting them go, they pray for their bad luck to be taken away.

We watched the krathongs floating in the water and saw the thousands of lanterns filling the sky. We thought of the prayers attending those boats and lanterns. We thought of all these people who believe that somehow these acts will bring them merit and help them achieve nirvana someday, thousands of lifetimes from now.

We know that one prayer of faith to Jesus is more powerful than a million prayers to any false god. We are so thankful for all the faithful prayers being lifted up for the people of Thailand. —Robbie Doss

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