Moo Deng krathongs a big hit in Pathum Thani

THE followers of a temple in Pathum Thani province have hit the bull’s eye by making krathongs, or small floating containers, in the shape of world-famous baby pygmy hippo Moo Deng for tomorrow’s Loy Krathong festival, TV Channel 7 said this evening (Nov. 14).

At Wat Thanyaphon (Wang Matcha) in Lam Luk Ka District, the followers have made 7,000 krathongs out of fish food which does not harm the environment.

Ms. Lamphung Nilanopkhun, 51, an official at this temple, said they have been making krathongs for a week now with 3,000 being made of bread and 4,000 corn snacks. The former are made from bread dough moulded by hand before being baked to harden them then put up for sale.

The latter are made by assembling together pieces of corn snack into krathongs using plain water as glue.

The krathongs come in various shapes including heart and animals with the most popular one this year amid the Moo Deng fever being the one shaped like the cute baby hippo. With lots of people eager for a Moo Deng krathong to float in the waterways tomorrow the team is running out of time to make enough of them.

They are being sold at 40 baht each but price of the heart-shaped and Moo Deng krathongs depend on the size.

Pol. Lt. Gen. Sirawat Deepo, deputy police spokesman, issued a safety guideline for people celebrating Loy Krathong and Yi Peng festival in the North, primarily in Chiang Mai, when thousands of lanterns are released into the night sky, as follows:

– It is best to not go into water to float the krathongs and adults should keep a close eye on small children;

– Avoid crowded place because there could be criminals amidst the jostling;

– Do not set off firecrackers as there is a risk of getting injured;

– Lanterns should only be floated at designated places because they disrupt flights and may cause fire;

– Use environmentally friendly krathongs;

– Be careful when floating digital krathongs online as scammers could have created attractive websites to lure people into filling personal details.

 Photo: TV Channel 7

This report originally appeared at www.thainewsroom.com

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