Where Light Meets Water

Each year, as the full moon of the twelfth lunar month rises, Chiang Mai takes on a different rhythm. During Loi Krathong and Yi Peng, the city fills with light, candles drifting along the river, lanterns lifting into the sky and fireworks echoing through the streets.

I stayed close to the quieter moments: hands steadying krathongs before they drift, whispered prayers in temple courtyards, the quiet concentration of girls preparing for local pageants. With sky lanterns now banned from the city center, the celebrations have moved beyond the old walls. There the night sky fills with slow-moving trails of light.

The work reflects how tradition continues, not through ceremony alone, but through the people who carry it.