Sunday, February 21, 2010

Troubles carried away with the khom fai

On the second night in Phuket, I noticed some glowing red lights in the sky, slowly creeping through the upper atmosphere. I wondered if they were UFOs, or even satellites that could be seen from earth since the sky was so clear. They were neither. They are khom fai, or fire lanterns, that people in Phuket lit and send off to carry their troubles and bad luck away. The Thai release the khom fai into the night sky to mark special occasions (this one for Chinese New Year). We noticed them for two nights and on the third night saw a family selling them on the sidewalk near the beach. How could we not participate in this beautiful traditional Thai practice especially when we were ready to get rid of the bad luck that has surrounded our Vietnamese adoption and that of the 19 other children?


We paid the darling child who was helping her parents sell them, and followed the family down to the beach. The mom helped Nick get it ready for launch. It was made of tissue paper and a little bamboo as support with a ring of what looked like condensed newspaper. Nick took a lighter and lit the ring in several places. Much like a hot air balloon, as the fire intensified, the lantern filled with hot carbon monoxide, making it expand and ready for take off.


We bowed our heads and prayed before Nick let go of the lantern, and off went our troubles and bad luck into the tropical Thai night. A light breeze made it take off quickly. We watched it for probably 10-15 minutes, and I'm sure it was several hundred feet in the air and traveled a few miles before the orange glow flickered out, disintegrating the entire lantern. Ironically, the wind carried it southeast of us - in the direction of Vietnam.

12 comments:

  1. How beautiful, I hope any bad luck drifts far, far away. I hope you are enjoying your travels.

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  2. A beautiful moment, beautifully written. Your post made me want to jump a plane and see if I can get there in time to participate. One of those once in a lifetime experiences.

    I hope things become easier for you in terms of the adoption. :)

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  3. I'm sory to hear that the adoption isn't going well. I hope that it will go more smoothly soon. I've never been to Thailand, but I would love to go and see the country and especially see the khom fai. It just sounds so beautiful. Happy ICLW!

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  4. That is such a beautiful tradition! I love the sound of that.

    I hope things improve for you soon.

    ICLW

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  5. This is really lovely. Wishing you all the best

    ~Stopping by for ICLW~

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  6. Very cool thing to do. Hope things get better and that lantern carried all the bad energy away. Happy iclw.

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  7. it is a beautiful tradition and a beautiful sight. we lit them at our wedding, and it was so powerful to be surrounded by so many people we loved all focusing on their hopes and dreams. hope that the adoption process speeds up.

    ilcw

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  8. What a wonderful, symbolic tradition - putting your troubles in the lantern and watching them float away...

    ~ICLW

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  9. What a beautiful post. I bet that was a very special moment for both of you, one that you will always carry with you.

    *ICLW

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  10. That's a beautiful tradition. Here's wishing all your troubles float away as easily....

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