New Year’s Eve in Chiang Mai
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As we waited, we watched the family that owned the hotel excitedly getting ready behind the desk. Clearly, New Year’s was a big celebration here. We reveled in their delight as they draped each other in colorful clothes and added flowers to their hair. As for our group, we had indulged in the colorful markets multiple times in our first few days. So our New Year’s Eve attire consisted of matching baggy harem pants, a Thai staple we had all purchased the day before.
We had been in Chiang Mai just shy of a week, and so far our adventure had taken us so many places. We had visited ornate temples, chatted with monks about their lifestyle and beliefs, explored a sacred cave, meandered through orchid and butterfly gardens, and visited a hill tribe village outside of town which led to a soccer game with the local children. We explored beautiful parks filled with exotic plants and outdoor Jazzercise classes, experienced a traditional Thai dinner and dancing show, and spent hours wandering the ancient walled city tasting food from the street carts that was better than any fancy Thai restaurant in the States.
In fact, a highlight of the week had been a cooking lesson with a Thai TV chef. She taught us about the series of sensations that come with a good Thai dish: salty, sweet, spicy and sour. She showed us her secret techniques that we each practiced in our own wok, and then tasted the extraordinary results dish after dish before making the next. She walked us around the market to show us the unique vegetables and fruits of the region and how to choose the most ripe and flavorful in the market .
Today we had taken some down time to rest. Some of us indulged in the pool at our hotel and now we were eager to experience a New Year’s ritual in Chiang Mai that was known around the world.
Chiang Mai’s New Year’s Eve Lantern tradition of filling the sky with paper lanterns seems to be a more recent phenomenon of the 21st century. However lantern festivals in Thailand originated from centuries old religious celebrations to honor Buddhist and Hindu gods and goddesses. Although the New Year’s Eve celebration seemed far from religious, there was still a visceral sacredness in the depths of the ritual. And on this night it was tradition for locals and travelers alike to fill their lanterns with wishes and prayers and release them into the heavens.
As we made our way toward Tha Phae Gate near the Mae Ping River we found ourselves in the midst of thousands upon thousands of people gathered from cultures around the world. We nudged our way to the center of a bridge over the river. Next to us we heard Russian and Spanish spoken as people of all sizes and shapes, colors and ethnicities surrounded us.There was laughter and horseplay, joy and awe. As we wrote and whispered our own wishes into the lantern, we all grasped an edge, then ever so slowly let go as the fire inside began to lift the lantern toward the sky.
I stood watching the childlike wonder in the eyes of our group of young men as the glowing orange lantern took flight. I had butterflies in my stomach from the awareness that on this night we were experiencing the vibration of thousands of hearts filled with excitement and joy at the same time. Here these young men were in a country with a lifestyle so different from ours, surrounded by people from many different belief systems, religions, and races. And yet, what they were most tuned into was not the differences, but the connectedness and self same hopes and dreams of the collective. In that moment I felt humbled to be part of something so magical, aware that for centuries before me millions of people had also secretly hoped their prayers would be heard and their wishes granted for happiness, love, health and abundance.
For several hours we watched the sky blossom with hundreds of fiery orbs until they floated out of sight. Then in the early morning hours we meandered through the streets and back alleys back to our hotel. The next day we realized something had shifted. There was a new found ease and comfort with the culture and each other. And there was new perspective on how connected we truly are.
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Author’s Note:
Since our trip to Chiang Mai there has been an increased awareness and concern about the impact of paper lanterns on the environment. As always when we travel, we did our best to minimize our waste.