body language

Thailand table manner

Thai Mythical Creature Erawan Elephant

Thai Mythical Creature

Erawan Elephant (Airawata) ช้างเอราวัณ

It is a mythical pearl white elephant that the legend said that it has 33 heads, each head has 7 tusks, each tusk has 7 lotus ponds, each pond has 7 lotus pads, each pad has 7 lotus blossoms, each blossom has 7 lotus petals, each petal has 7 dancing angels, and each angel has 7 lady-in-waiting.This elephant is serve as Indra the cheif god as a mount to travel in heaven or earth or be a battle elephant of Indra. It is also god of all elephant in the universe.The legend said that it bring moisture to the heaven after Indra battle with demons and Indra return it as a rain.

Loi Krathong 

Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional                             Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.

Loi means 'to float', while krathong refers to a usually lotus-shaped container which floats on the water. Krathong has no other meaning in Thai besides these decorative floats, so Loi Krathong is very hard to translate, requiring a word describing what a Krathong looks like such as Floating Crown, Floating Boat, Floating Decoration. The traditional krathong are made of the layers of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lilyplant. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or styrofoam. A bread krathong will disintegrate after a few days and can be eaten by fish. Banana stalk krathong are also biodegradable, but styrofoam krathongs are sometimes banned, as they pollute the rivers and may take years to decompose. A krathong is decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, incense sticks, and a candle. A small coin is sometimes included as an offering to the river spirits. On the night of the full moon, Thais launch their krathong on a river, canal or a pond, making a wish as they do so. The festival may originate from an ancient ritual paying respect to the water spirits.