The UNESCO city, weighing the Thai culture

The UNESCO city, weighing the Thai culture

Every year in Thailand, on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar - usually in November - thousands of locals and tourists flock to the nearest watering point to celebrate Loy Krathong.

the festival and its meaning

As part of the festival, people let small rafts, so -called Krathongs, into the water, which are usually covered with decorative leaves of the banana plant and are adorned with flowers, incense sticks and candles. These are released to the water goddess as offerings, an action that many believe that she will bring happiness.

This year Loy Krathong falls on November 15th. Events will take place everywhere in the country, with the largest celebration in the city of Sukhothai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The festival of the lights in Sukhothai

With traditional parades, light and sound shows as well as fireworks, the one-week festival of the lights offers visitors the unique opportunity to impressively illuminate the ancient monuments of the city while celebrating the rich legacy of the historical park.

But even if you cannot travel to Sukhothai to experience the Loy Krathong festivities from November 8th to 15th, a visit is worthwhile in every season.

The cradle of the Kingdom Siam

Sukhothai was the first capital of the kingdom of Siam (the former name Thailand) in the 13th and 14th centuries before it was conquered by Ayutthaya in 1438, which became the new capital. Today, impressive Buddhist monasteries and early Thai architecture can be explored in the historic park of Sukhothai.

1991 The city was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the associated cities. Sukhothai is attributed to have developed many of the unique characteristics that represent Thai culture today, including language, religion and architecture.

"The great civilization that developed in the Kingdom of Sukhothai took up numerous influences and old local traditions. The quick assimilation of all these elements was what is known as the 'Sukhothai style'," says the inscription.

cultural experiences in Sukhothai

Sirawee Lamsudjai, a cultural representative in the city of Ramkhamhaen National Museum, says that many tourists are not only surprised by the beautiful architecture and the Buddhist monuments, but also from the relaxed lifestyle.

"The first impression for many tourists who visit Sukhothai is how peaceful it is here and how the local lifestyle coexists harmoniously with the historical sites," she explains.

Although the city is compact, there is a lot to discover here. Wat Mahathat is located in the center of the historic park and is home to a majestic pagoda. Sirawee also emphasizes Wat Trapang Thong, the Golden Sea monastery, which is the main town for the festival of the lights.

innovations and water management

Sukhothai is not only known as the cradle of the arts, language and religion - many scholars consider it the cradle of Thai culture - but also for its innovations. "When people explore the historical sites in Sukhothai, they find artificially created ponds that are systematically connected," says Sirawee.

"The city is known for its efficient water system in the history of Siam." In her inscription, UNESCO also emphasizes Sukhotha's progress in the hydraulic engineering technology and points out that the kingdom successfully modified the local landscape through the construction of reservoirs, ponds and channels in order to control floods and to gain water for various agricultural and ritual purposes.

the origin of Loy Krathong

But while historians agree on the success of water management in Sukhothai, the connection to Loy Krathong remains unclear. Many believe that the former capital is the cradle of the festival, but the reality is more complex due to a lack of concrete evidence and different interpreted historical reports.

Sirawee notes that it is not clear when the Loy Krathong activities were taken over in Thailand for the first time, but candlelight and fireworks festivals are mentioned in the Sukhothai recordings.

The well -known historian Tongthong Chandransu, who carried out extensive research on the legal, political and cultural history of Thailand, shares this view. He explains that in the famous Ramkhamhaeng inscription Sukhothais there is no mention of rafts that have been let into the water.

The modern celebration of Loy Krathong

"The origin of the Loy Krathong culture is still a topic of the academic debate," he says. "But what we know is that this activity has been practiced in Thailand for over 200 years since the rattanakosin era (1782–1932)." The most accepted theory says that the rafts were originally a symbolic way of expressing gratitude to the water goddess Phra Mae Khongkha.

"The lifestyle of the Thai people was heavily dependent on the water, from general use to agriculture. In the past, the river was the main road - everything happened around the water," explains Tongthong.

trip to Sukhothai

No matter whether Sukhothai is the cradle of the Loy Krathong culture or not, it remains one of the best places to experience the festival. The city is about six hours away by car from Bangkok, while flights take about 80 minutes. Bangkok Airways offers daily flights from Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai capital to Sukhothai Airport.

Sukhothai offers a variety of accommodation opportunities that are suitable for every budget and taste, many of them at walking distance to the historical sites. Bicycle rental is widespread and a pleasant way to discover the main distances, while guided tours offer additional insights.

For those who want to learn more about the impressive history of the city, the ramkhamhaeng National Museum - right at the gates of the historical park - a variety of artifacts that were discovered during a series of excavations in the 1960s.