This rocky islet, where an abbey sits atop, is the Mont Saint-Michel, named after the archangel meant to protect it in the Middle Ages. Due to its exquisiteness, with its large bay that changes appearance depending on the tides, the Mont-Saint-Michel is one of the most visited sites in all of France.
Here, the reflection of lights in the water at nightfall refers to the illuminations of the skies of Chiang Mai during the lantern festival. The Yi Peng festival, celebrated during the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai lunar calendar, is connected to the culture of the north of Thailand. We can admire the thousands of lit up lanterns ascending the nocturnal sky; some are released by Buddhist monks, recognizable by their saffron robes. These celestial lanterns, or Khom loi in Thai, are also called wish lanterns or candles of the sky. There are hot air balloons, consisting of a candle and made of a bag of rice paper. We offer these lanterns in the way of surrendering all recent misfortunes and to bring homage to the ancestors that rest in the skies.
USEFUL RESOURCES:
- Tourism Office of the Saint-Michel’s Mount (Information on the Saint-Michel’s Mount situated in Normandy)
- Loy Krathong Festival - Chiang Mai (Information on the tradition of the Loy Krathong Festival or the Water Lantern Festival - known as krathong - taking place in Chiang Mai)
- Yi Peng Festival - Chiang Mai (Information on the tradition of the Yi Peng Festival or the Sky Lantern Festival - known as khom loi - taking place in Chiang Mai)
- Differences between the two traditions of Thai Lantern Festivals (Loy Krathong Festival and Yi Peng Festival)
- Festival of Lights - Lyon, France (Information on the tradition of the Festival of Lights taking place in the city of Lyon, France)