Thai festival to be celebrated at UQ

A festival celebrating one of Thailand`s oldest and most important traditions will be enacted on the shores of the lake at The University of Queensland`s St Lucia campus on Friday, October 7.

Loy Krathong day is celebrated annually on the November full moon, the culmination of Thailand`s high water season.

The festival is being organised by the UQ Thai Students Association.

“This annual festival has been designed to celebrate and uphold our precious traditions and to share our distinctive culture in order to enhance a sense of multiculturalism between Thai and Australian communities,” Association President Piyanut Sangpattarachai said.

A highlight of the evening will be the demonstration of Krathong - candles encased in banana-leaf boats, which are set afloat on the lake.

Mr Sangpattarachai said members of the public were welcome at the festival.

“This is our version of Brisbane`s River Festival,” he said.

In Thai folklore, five goddesses personify the five material elements: Mae Phra Toranee, mother of earth; Mae Phra Phai, goddess of the wind; Phra Plerng, goddess of fire; Mae Phra Posop, goddess of grain or food; and Mae Khong Kha, mother of water.

This is the annual festival of thanksgiving to Mae Khong Kha for her bounty in providing water not only for drinking and washing, but for the essential means of the livelihood of most Thai agriculture, fishing and transport by river and other waterways.

“Loy Krathong is a request for Mae Khong Kha`s forgiveness for having used and polluted the water,” Mr Sangpattarachai said.

In Thailand Loy Krathong is the day on which water is saluted and celebrated by floating the delicate, dainty and typically Thai creations called Krathong.

There is always enough water around for everyone to Loy or float his or her Krathong and after dark every stretch of water in Thailand glitters with the bobbing lights of thousands of candles inside little banana-leaf baskets.

Mr Sangpattarachai said the UQ celebration, from 5pm to 11pm, would feature traditional Thai dancing, Thai foods, traditional costumes and stalls.

Media: For more information, contact Piyanut Sangpattarachai (telephone 0403 520 072) or Chris Saxby at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2479, email c.saxby@uq.edu.au).