Yi Peng festival
| Yi Peng | |
|---|---|
Floating lanterns (khom loi) over Chiang Mai during Yi Peng | |
| Official name | ยี่เป็ง |
| Also called | Yee Peng |
| Type | Cultural, religious (Buddhist) |
| Celebrations | Release of sky lanterns, lighting of phang pratheep (clay lamps) and hanging lanterns, merit-making at temples |
| Begins | Two days before the full moon of the second month in the Lanna lunar calendar |
| Date | November (varies by lunar calendar) |
| Frequency | Annual |
Yi Peng (Thai: ยี่เป็ง, Northern Thai: ᨿᩦ᩵ᩮᨻ᩠ᨦ), also spelled Yee Peng, is a traditional Lan Na festival celebrated in Northern Thailand. It is a festival of lights, deeply rooted in Theravada Buddhism, and is celebrated for three days, culminating on the full moon of the second month of the Lanna lunar calendar (Thai: เดือนยี่, duean yi), which typically falls in November.
The festival is most closely associated with the city of Chiang Mai, where its best-known feature is the mass release of thousands of khom loi (sky lanterns), which are believed to relieve misfortune and send wishes to the heavens. While Yi Peng is a distinct Lanna tradition, it is celebrated concurrently with the national Thai festival of Loy Krathong.