Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
According to the Royal Institute Dictionary 1999, loi (ลอย) means 'to float', while krathong (กระทง) has various meanings, one of which is "a basket to be floated on water in the Loi Krathong festival".[1] Several translations of krathong are found, such as floating crown, floating boat, floating decoration. The traditional krathong are made from a slice of the trunk of a banana tree or a spider lily plant