Thais to wash away awful year

Thais to wash away awful year

BANGKOK (AFP): Thais hoped to wash away their year's
misfortunes in a special festival yesterday after enduring the
country's worst economic slump in decades.

Tens of thousands of people would launch banana leaves laden
with candles -- and sometime hair and nail clippings -- onto the
country's waterways later yesterday to celebrate the Loy Krathong
festival.

The traditional Thai event is held annually to cleanse
participants of their year's troubles and to pay tribute to the
water, a crucial element of social and religious life here.

Thousands of people line the banks of rivers and canals across
the country to see the flickering floats go by, hopefully taking
with them the misfortunes of the person who launched the
"krathong".