Travelling Teacher!: Loi Kratong

So, a week after the food festival there is another festival called Loi Kratong. It takes place on the first full moon of the lunar calendar and in my little town it is an excuse to have a great big party. Somran, one of the Thai teachers at my school who has become a great friend, became my personal tour guide through the events, and even conspired to get me into the parade through town. But I'm getting a head of myself.
As I walked through the morning market (ah yes, I found a new market in town. Not only is there a night market, a Monday and Thursday market, and a weekend market, but there is also a morning market where you can get everything you would ever want in the way of food preparation). So, I was walking through the morning market, and saws dozens of cute little banana boats with flowers, candles, and incense stuck into them every which way. I didn't know too much about the festival yet, but eventually decided to purchase one and have on my desk throughout the day until I knew what to do with it.
At that, Somran saw it and invited me to meet him that night to learn how to make my own, I happily accepted and went out side for the morning announcements which were, I found out, to be more than usual. Every child in the school had a boat and after announcements they walked them to the temple, all 1750 of them, to be blessed by the monks there.
After that, school proceeded as normal until the afternoon sports (it's still sports weeks) which were begun with mock-up parades. I was told it was as practice for the festival tomorrow, but I never saw students in the parade, so who knows.
At the appointed meeting time, 6 o'clock, I went to meet Somran at his home with Ruth Yndra, the Philipina who teaches English to kindergarten students at my school. From there he took us to a little shop/house on the main drag of Nong Chang and taught us how to make the banana boats (Pictures next post). At the same time, the women of some organization (of which there are 6 doing the same) were making a float out of banana leaves to be in the next day's parade.
The next day was the parade, and, I found out, I was to be in it with the ladies who's float I watched being made. At first I was nervous, being terribly under dressed, but, it's a small town and everyone knows me anyway so that fell away quickly enough.
Like Jesus with loaves and fishes, Nong Chang is with parades. They managed to turn a 15 walk into a 2 hour procession. Each group had to stop and do a dance in front of what must have been judges, although no winner was mentioned for the dancing (my group did win with their float though).
After the parade was a large party, with 3 stages and a small vacant lot turned into a kind of bar with a rock band playing. I spent time at all three, all the while being fed and boozed by Somran, who must have no greater pleasures in life than feeding me and getting me drunk. I ended up home by midnight having had a marvelous, marvelous time.

My Boat, finished.