Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand Nov. 15, 2024

Yi Peng lantern festival, Chiang Mai, Thailand

As twilight descends today, Chiang Mai, Thailand"s second-largest city, will come alive with thousands of glowing lanterns for Yi Peng. Held on the full moon of the second month of the Lanna lunar calendar—a calendar that dates back to the medieval Lanna Kingdom of Northern Thailand—this celebration signifies the removal of negativity and the embrace of new beginnings. The highlight of the festival is the release of "khom loi" or "khom loy"—floating paper lanterns—into the night sky, creating a beautiful sight as the heavens fill with a sea of warm, golden lights. Locals and visitors gather around temples and palaces to send their wishes skyward, hoping for good fortune in the year to come.

© tampatra/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

You otter check this out
Nov. 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Nov. 15, 2025Irohazaka Road in autumn, Nikko, Tochigi, Japan

More Desktop Wallpapers:

A mirror reflecting natures beauty
Sep. 27, 2025Red maple
May 7, 2025Dunluce Castle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Nov. 26, 2025World Olive Tree Day
Where fire and water meet
Jan. 28, 2025Short-eared owl
Today, a nation was born
May 24, 2024Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park
Feb. 8, 2026Corfu at night, Greece
Blood moon
Jan. 15, 2025Lake Superior, Thunder Bay, Ontario
Sep. 10, 2023Grandparents Day
Chasing summer in the art world
Oct. 14, 2023Ring of fire solar eclipse
Jul. 17, 2025Lavender fields in Plateau de Valensole, France
Dec. 7, 2024Lake Ontario, Toronto, during winter
Jul 21, 2026Santa Catalina Arch, Antigua, Guatemala
Mar. 6, 2024Wahclella Falls, Oregon, USA
Nov. 13, 2023Serra de Tramuntana, Balearic Islands, Majorca, Spain
Jan. 23, 2026Þorrablót, Icelandic midwinter festival
Nov. 20, 2025World Childrens Day
Mar. 16, 2026Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park, Alberta
Aug. 17, 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
Trails leading to the gateway of nature.
Jun. 3, 2025World Bicycle Day
Like a waterfall, free and wild
Mar. 18, 2026Tom McCall Waterfront Park, Portland, Oregon, USA
Jun 30, 2026Giraffes at sunset in the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Jun. 27, 2025Splendid leaf frog
Mar. 10, 2024Daylight Savings