Yi Peng night

Following the Lanna traditional, (Northern People in Chiangmai), we do float the lantern balloon every year in 12th lunar month on full moon night as same as we float "Kratong" in the river on the Loi Kratong day.

Nowadays, you can see it almost everywhere and not just only full moon night. We believe that it's a luck a) to let someone (in this case means family or relatives) knows that we're still missing them b) to let the bad thing go with the balloons c) it's a legend, i'm sure you can google it :P

Yi means two, Peng means full moon so we call it Yi Peng Festival but some people misunderstood - they call the balloon as "Yi Peng". It's the unique traditional practice of Lanna people. It's the Loi Krathong ceremony's northern version.
 
You can easily find this kind of balloon especially in the north of Thailand. But some places sell it expensive. Sometimes 100THB per ballon. I did it in Pai, it's 3 balloons per 100THB :)  I remember Ale told me since we were in Chiangmai in September that he'd like to do it. But we didn't find it in the market and we didn't go to the place that they have it either. This time, we should do it. We bought 3 balloons for 3 people. We crossed the wood bridge to the other side of the guesthouse. The trick is you should do it in an open space and make sure that it's far from the houses. If it's fall down but no fire, is ok. If not, everything can be burn. It happened before but not by me :) I saw it in the news :D

Even we got the small balloons but we needed six hands to fire it. It isn't easy. Some people lose more than 3 balloons to do it :) 

I don't know what you think but everytime i do, I feel free! :) Lately I saw a Amsterdam NYE meet up's blog of TB Kim. There's one picutre that people doing it too. Yes, I wonder. Maybe I don't know that they do it all around the world? But for my culture, the legend of it is like what I just shared to you.