IN the pitch dark sea off Gurney Drive, a giant lotus-shaped krathong floated into the channel, carrying with it the prayers of some 500 Wat Buppharam devotees.
More than 1,000 smaller vessels accompanied the metre-high, red krathong, made by three monks from the temple on Perak Road.
Colourful scenes: Devotees getting the krathong ready for release. Earlier on, an air of festivity prevailed at the temple grounds with Thai music blaring from the speakers and stalls selling snacks and drinks.
The large crowd that had gathered there before the procession started was busy snapping pictures of the krathong surrounded by pretty maidens on a float.
Resident monk Phranikorn Atipunyo said this was the first time the temple had made such a big krathong.
“We collected about RM5,000 to buy the materials for the krathong.
“This is the biggest one ever made at the temple,” he said, adding that the 1,000-odd krathong were released into the sea for luck and happiness.
The procession started at 9.30pm, with devotees singing and dancing as they made their way to the seafront on Thursday night.
Loy Krathong is an annual Thai cultural festival, held during the full moon of the 12th lunar month in the Thai calendar, to thank the Water Goddess Phra Mae Khongkha for the daily use of water.
Loy means to float while krathong refers to the lotus-shaped vessel, traditionally made from banana leaves although modern-day versions are more commonly fashioned from polystyrene and coloured paper.
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