Lantern festival

We're super lucky to be in Northern Thailand during the annual lantern festival called Yi Peng. Over the past couple of weeks there have been a few different events involving these "sky lanterns" made of rice paper with a giant circular wick at the bottom. Two or three people would hold the outside of the lantern while one person lights the wick, and then they all hold it up for a couple minutes until the hot air fills-up the lantern, and then they let go and the lantern floats up into the sky.

I went to a big Yi Peng ceremony a couple weeks ago, located on a huge field (like the size of the main stage at a big outdoor rock festival), and there were thousands of people with these huge lanterns. There was an announcement over loud speakers and some kind of Thai music started to play, then everyone got down on the ground for a prayer, and then everyone got up, lit the lanterns, and then they were all released in unison. Once they were all in the air, a big fireworks show started. It may have been the most beautiful scene I have ever experienced.

Below are several photos from the event, and at the very bottom is a video that I found on You Tube, taken by someone at the same festival last year. The photos don't really do it justice, but the video gives you a good feel for what it was like when all the lanterns went up at the same time.

Here's the video...