Attend a lantern festival in Thailand

“Later, pulsing with adrenaline and trying to form words to describe our experience, we concluded that the only thing we could compare it to was coming down from drugs (and by that, mom, I mean what my friends have told me coming down from drugs feels like, obviously). We laughed, we cried, we had the shakes — nothing can prepare you for the natural high of witnessing Yi Peng in person. Thousands of lanterns released into the night sky like giant pulsing jellyfish, each one filled with good energy for friends and family around the world.”

“So Lauren and I actually got to Mae Jo at 2pm. They barricaded off the small road that went to the university so you have to walk about 20min from the main road. Its’ really cool because it was filled with many food vendors, and people selling other random goods. [...] We ended up seeing a few different friends we had made in the 2 days we had been in Chiang Mai. They told us how bad the traffic was getting there. So that was our only consolation for arriving so early. Around 7:30pm they finally started the ceremony, I had learned there was no longer a peaceful meditation or chanting. I honestly was mentally and emotionally disappointed during the ceremony, people were being incredibly disrespectful, walking around, taking pictures, there were even people on their cell phones. I had expected more, I thought it was going to be life changing. It wasn’t until the actual count down of the release when I checked back in and appreciated the visual brilliance that was taking place. The heat from the lanterns and the hope from every person illuminated.”

“We were here for the Chiang Mai lantern festival last year, experiencing all of it for the first time. And let me just say - that’s a million-dollar view. My favorite place was the bridge, as you have a perfect view of the lanterns in the sky and offerings floating down the river. The atmosphere there was so uplifting and friendly - the locals and tourists were helping each other holding the lanterns up while lighting them up. Each time when a person would launch the lantern in the air, people around them cheered, took photos and joyfully watched it fly away.”