nwasianweekly.com
Nov. 26, 2005

(Photo by Pat Tanumihardja)
This was among the many pungent and delicious curries served at Loy Krathong, a Thai Buddhist festival that pays respect to the Goddess of the Waters.

Thai festival full of food and hope

By Pat Tanumihardja
For the Northwest Asian Weekly

The full moon of the twelfth month,
As water fills the banks,
We, all men and women,
Have really good fun on Loy Krathong day… 

As the song describes, Loy Krathong is one of Thailand’s most beloved festivals. It is usually celebrated on the day of the full moon in November, the 12^th lunar month. “Loy” means “to float,” and “krathong” refers to the lotus-shaped banana leaf cups that are set afloat on ponds, rivers and canals all over the nation.

Last Sunday, more than 400 members of the Washington Buddhavanaram temple in Auburn gathered to celebrate Loy Krathong. I was thrilled to be Pranee Khruasanit Halvorsen’s guest.

“In Thailand, nobody misses Loy Krathong,” says Halvorsen, who remembers celebrating the festival with her girlfriends on the island of Phuket. “We just made it happen, in a rice field, pond, canal. In some way, everyone celebrates it.”

When we arrived at the temple, I was immediately in awe of its distinctive Thai architecture, particularly the rooflines swooping majestically up to sharp corners. We slipped our shoes off and entered the prayer hall. The chanting of monks bestowing blessings echoed under the soaring cedar roof supported by Douglas fir beams arching above kneeling worshippers.

After the blessing, everyone stood in line outside the temple with bowls of rice for the alms offering ceremony known as Tak Bat. The monks went down the line with their alms bowls, receiving the rice worshippers scooped out. Traditionally, monks would go house to house in the villages collecting alms (food) daily. This act of generosity is an integral part of Buddhist teachings.

Following Tak Bat, worshippers formed a human chain across the temple, passing dishes of every color, combination and texture imaginable from the kitchen to the string of tables lined up on the veranda.

I was surprised not to find restaurant staples like pad thai and green curry. Instead, I saw fried whole catfish, chili-flecked beef jerky, brown-speckled sausages, vegetable and meat omelets — and these were just the dishes I could identify! Another unusual sight was sticky glutinous rice served in wicker baskets.

According to Halvorsen, who is a Thai cooking instructor and personal chef, the spread was representative of northeastern Thai cuisine. Menu items at Seattle Thai restaurants tend to be national dishes available throughout Thailand.

Halvorsen piled four plates high with both savory and sweet foods for us to share, and we sat down on the floor to start our feast. The new flavors, textures and ways of eating were a delight to discover. 

One of my favorites was sup naw mai, fermented bamboo shoots cooked with sesame, green onions and cilantro in a base made from fermented fish. In the north, people use fermented fish in the same way shrimp paste is used in the south, said Halvorsen.

Following her lead, I rolled some sticky rice into a ball with my fingers, sopped up some sup naw mai and popped everything into my mouth. It was a wonderful meld of flavors and textures, and I could not help but lick my fingers clean.

Next, I broke off a quarter of a Thai eggplant and tried the first of three accompanying chili dips ranging in color from burgundy to orange to mustard. The eggplant was bitter, but I didn’t mind it so much combined with the dip’s pungent and spicy flavor. Unfortunately for me, I then dipped a cucumber spear into the “10-star” dip. My mouth felt like it was on fire. After gigantic gulps of water and many mouthfuls of rice, the heat subsided enough for me to carry on eating.

I also sampled three different papaya salads (som tam). Every refreshing mouthful was made from a combination of julienned green papaya, lime juice, cilantro, bird’s eye chilies, peanuts and tomatoes, with heat ranging from mild to medium. 

To end on a sweet note, I ate “mock jackfruit seed” (met kanoon). The small oval-shaped delicacy was made from mung bean paste, dipped into egg yolk (usually duck) and cooked in boiling sugar syrup. A hint of jasmine gave it an exotic floral flavor.

With my stomach practically overflowing, I was relieved to stand up. It was time to “loy krathong.”

Everyone held on to their krathongs — each one had a candle and three incense sticks and was decorated with a colorful assortment of orchids, roses and carnations — as we walked to the lake by the temple.

Traditionally, Loy Krathong is a time to offer thanks to the Goddess of the Waters, Mae Khong Kha, for providing enough water to produce a bountiful harvest. Some people also believe that as the krathong floats away, it takes with it all the bad luck experienced in the past year, paving the way for good wishes and good luck for the new year to come.

I lit my candle and incense sticks and lowered my krathong to the glassy surface of the lake. I said a small prayer and set it free. I watched as the gentle breeze pushed my krathong along until it joined the rainbow flotilla of floats in the middle of the lake, a trail of incense wafting in the air.

Then I turned to leave, my heart filled with hope and optimism that the coming year would be a happy one.

Pat Tanumihardja can be reached at scpnwan@nwlink.com.

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