Floating the kratongs

So what is all this business about floating lotus flowers? Why do the Thais do this every year? Ask a Thai person why they float these objects and you could get any number of answers. Here are some of the more popular ones:

1. to appease the spirit of the water/ask forgiveness for throwing dirty things into the river
2. to ask the spirit for a fruitful year of crops
3. to send their sins away with the kratong (some Thais will cut off a bit of their hair/nails and put it in the kratong, believing their sins will float away with these things)
4. others put money in their kratong, hoping if they send a little away, more will return
5. some couples will send their kratongs out at the same time believing if the kratongs float away side-by-side, they will have a blessed relationship

Whatever their reasons, it's quite a ceremony. Here's how it all happens...

First, people head to the water's edge.