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. In addition to the lantern release, the city is adorned with vibrant parades, traditional dance performances and stunning decorations.

© 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:

Oct 10, 2025Fiji Day
Jan 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
Jan 3, 2024Virupaksha temple, Hampi, Karnataka
The sea that acts like a lake
Jan 15, 2024Makar Sankranti
A pink moon over Arizona
Jun 20, 2026Arched iceberg, western Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean
Sep 24, 2023World Rivers Day
Jun 7, 2026Ruins of Dunseverick Castle, Northern Ireland
A beacon in the golden light
A sacred water tank in Hampi
Shining city on the hill
Aug 5, 2025Tide pools in La Jolla, California, United States
Where can you find this cute creature?
9,000-year-old handprints
So close, yet so far
Jul 2, 2025Spine-cheeked anemonefish
Mar 9, 2025Kedarkantha, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand
Beautiful falling waters
Dec 19, 2025Bormio, Lombardy, Italy
Panoramic Penzance
Feb 8, 2025Medieval towers in Mestia, Upper Svaneti, Georgia
Dec 12, 2025Poinsettia: A winter classic
American Red Cross pioneers
Feb 6, 20262026 Winter Olympics
Where we go to play
Monsoon awakens the sleeping mountains
Jan 6, 2025Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
Happy birthday Badlands National Park
Jan 12, 2025Crescent-tail bigeye fish, Great Barrier Reef, Australia