In Chiang Mai workers spend weeks constructing platforms on the river banks for Loy Krathong. 
Each year, the Loy Krathong Festival, known locally as Yee Peng in Northern Thailand holds a parade from ThaPhae Gate towards the Ping River. Contests are held to select a beauty queen and awards for the best lantern float reflecting the theme of th
Large floats of boats and dragons illuminated like lanterns are popular in parades in Laos and Thailand. There is a tradition in Chiang Mai and the North-Eastern provinces to make one very big krathong and light it with torches. The krathong is fil
The beginning of the parade celebrating Loy Krathong: A local winner of a beauty contest called the Nopphamat Queen Contest.
Women wearing traditional blouses and skirts of the Lanna culture of the north carry poles with lanterns.
Young man carrying a banner in the Loy Krathong Parade.
Thapae Road becomes a symbolic river on which the parade lanterns drift. A group of boys swoop in and out of the procession with lanterns articulated like fish mimicking movements under water.
Western tourists enjoy the Loy Krathong Parade from the balcony of their guest house on Thapae Road.
Young woman selling krathongs made from bread shaped like lotus blossoms. Ideally, materials used to make krathongs are made from organic materials that will naturally decompose or be consumed by birds and fish.  
Krathongs made from ice-cream cones with joss sticks, incense cones and a candle.
School groups sell krathongs as part of fund raising programs.
Most krathongs are small and simple. There are also larger ones with fancy designs for sale shaped like dragons and swans made from banana leaves cut and wrapped around a buoyant foam core.
A television crew film a young woman preparing to set her krathong in the water.
Young couple taking a selfie with their krathong. 
Three girls celebrate Loy Krathong together. Posed cell phone selfies lighting the krathong are a modern addition to the ceremony.
Young couples forecast the future of their relationship. If their two Krathong float side by side, it augurs well for the success of their romance. If they drift apart, it should provide a perfect opportunity to assure each other that any departure
Loi Ruea Samphao Fai
The presiding monk for the Sapao launch distributes small bread krathongs to temple laypeople to make individual offerings on the Ping River.
Filled with provisions of food and offerings of flowers the Sapao is prepared for it's journey down river.
Homemade torches made from discarded energy drink M150 bottles are strung on wires to the mast.
A young boy poses for a cell phone picture with his bread krathong.
Musicians accompany the ceremony making loud, cacophonous sounds to celebrate the launch of the Sapao.
Launching the Sapao.
The Sapao will be steadied two young boys in the broad but shallow Ping River. The water in November is very cold and they must guide it down the river and out of sight without capsizing it.
Boy slinging fireworks into the river.
Merry-go-rounds, spooky haunted houses, and inflatable slides are part of Loy Krathong. At sunset the ticket seller waits for customers.
A walk-through haunted house attraction in a park near the Mae Ping River. Horror movies and scary stories are popular in Thailand. Folk tales of ghosts and avenging spirits are found in movies, television and comic books. The Loy Krathong/Yee Ping
Large inflated slides and bounce houses are popular with families during the three day Loy Krathong Festival.
Temples around town receive visitors taking a moment simply to light candles. 
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A family sets afloat many small krathongs on the Ping River a few days before the main event.
Pratu Pa: Arches are constructed in front of local temples and family homes as a welcome gate for "those returning from the forest." The gate is an imitation of the Himalayan forest. The Lanna tradition of the forest gate is part of the Buddhist ce
The view from the bridge overlooking the Ping river on the banks of Chiang Mai's Chinatown district. Crowds gather on the steps to the concrete embankment on the river to launch their krathongs. Floating lanterns fill the sky at the culmination of t
Launching Krathong Sai: tiny krathongs.
Color photograph of the Sapao guided down the Ping River.   End of Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai 2015
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Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai
Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai
Wat Phra Singh, Chiang Mai
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