Fun Thai Fact: What does "Loi" (ลอย) mean? (A lesson from Chiang Mai's Yi Peng Festival!) เกร็ดน่ารู้ภาษาไทย: คำว่า "ลอย" หมายถึงอะไร? (จากเทศกาลยี่เป็ง เชียงใหม่) Hi everyone, this is Kruu Maem! สวัสดีค่ะทุกคน ครูแหม่มนะคะ! Every year, around late October or November, in Chiang Mai (my home city!), we are celebrating a stunningly beautiful festival called "Yi Peng" (ยี่เป็ง), which many people also known as "Loi Krathong" (ลอยกระทง). The highlight is releasing "Khom Loi" (โคมลอย), or sky lanterns, into the air—just like this! Fun Language & Culture Fact! In Thai, the verb "ลอย" (Loi) [pronounced "loy"] means "to float". This single word explains the entire festival! 1. โคมลอย (Khom Loi) — The Sky Lanterns • โคม (Khom) = Lantern • ลอย (Loi) = to float • = "The Floating Lantern." 2. ลอยกระทง (Loi Krathong) — The Water Floats • ลอย (Loi) = to float • กระทง (Krathong) = A traditional float made from banana leaves. • = "The act of floating the Krathong." ________________________________________ So, why do we float them? For Thais, this act is deeply symbolic. We float the Krathong (on the water) to pay respect to the River Goddess (พระแม่คงคา) and to "float away" any bad luck or negativity from the past year. Similarly, the Khom Loi (in the sky) is released to send away misfortunes and carry our good wishes and prayers for the new year up to heavens. Just one simple word, "ลอย" (Loi), shows us a beautiful piece of Thai culture in both the sky and the water! Have you ever seen this festival? What is an interesting festival in your culture? #LearnThai #ThaiCulture #YiPeng #LoiKrathong #ChiangMai #FunFact ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Media Credits: Video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVRePp7myrI&t=303s] (จากช่อง @comment_news - **Tip: Turn on English CC!**) Photo: [https://www.klook.com/th/activity/147113-chiangmai-cad-khomloy-sky-lantern-festival-2025/]