Loy Krathong Riverside

Loy Krathong is celebrated across Thailand on the evening of the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar, which usually falls in November. The name roughly means to float a krathong, a small handmade vessel. Traditionally the base is a slice of banana tree trunk wrapped in folded banana leaves, shaped like a lotus and decorated with flowers, a candle and incense sticks. After dark, families and friends gather at rivers, canals and ponds, light the candles and set their floats on the water. Many see it as a way to thank and honour the water and to let worries and misfortune drift away, and some make a quiet wish as the float leaves their hands. On a busy night, a river can be covered with hundreds of small flickering lights.

This model shows a quiet riverbank on that night: a villager lowering a lotus krathong onto the dark water, two more already drifting past, and a golden-roofed sala hung with orange lanterns, framed by banana trees, lily pads, reeds and a small spirit house.