From November 16 to 17, the School of Languages and Cultures of Southeast Asia and the School of International Education jointly organized the Loy Krathong Festival 2024 to celebrate the school's 20th anniversary. The activities were divided into two parts: the Water Lantern making competition and the Loy Krathong Festival Evening Party.
Loy Krathong Festival, also known as "Water Lantern Festival", as a traditional festival in Southeast Asian countries, contains rich cultural connotations, aiming to express gratitude and prayer for Phra Mae Kong Ka, the goddess of water, and emphasize the importance of protecting water resources and the environment.
On the morning of November 16, a water lantern making competition was held in the Cultural Park square. Participating in the competition are students from Thailand and students who speak Thai, Lao, Cambodian and communication Thai. The students used degradable green materials to make water lamps. The production and evaluation of water lanterns was the highlight of the whole activity. In the process, they not only deepened their understanding and respect for each other's cultures, but also demonstrated their ingenious ideas and cultural creativity through the competition. At the same time, our Thai foreign teachers and Chinese and Thai students made a large water lantern for the school together, and invited the alumni who returned to school that day to decorate it together to express their blessings to the school.
Students and alumni work together to make water lanterns
Students and alumni work together to make water lanterns
At 19:00 on the evening of November 17, as the night fell, the Loy Krathong Festival party officially began in the school auditorium. One of the highlights of the Loy Krathong gala was the "Noppamas Beauty Pageant", the symbol of Thailand's Loy Krathong festival, Queen Noppamas, a princess during the Sukhothai dynasty, was known for her elegance and modesty. According to legend, she made water lantern from natural materials and flowers and floated on the river to pray for the goddess of the Ganges. At the beginning of the party, Thai foreign teachers Ann Anon and Qiu Yubei joined hands with the girls to bring the song and dance "Loy Krathong Song".
The contestants on the stage
Then there was the competition of Thai culture knowledge, which stimulated the students' enthusiasm for in-depth understanding of Chinese and Thai culture, showing their love and in-depth exploration of the two cultures. Halfway through, the international students and Chinese students performed art performances.
Performance by Thai students
After two rounds of competition, Wu Ruoying, a Thai student from the School of International Education, won the champion of Loy Krathong Festival competition, and Wu Yuyan, a Thai student, won the second place. After the party, all the teachers and students went to the school's Hua Long pond to release the water lantern.
Through this activity, Chinese and Thai students jointly experienced the unique charm of Thailand's Loy Krathong Festival, enhanced the friendship and mutual understanding between the youth of the two countries, and built a bridge to promote the cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and Thailand.
Release water lamp
This activity not only added a strong festive atmosphere to the 20th anniversary of the school, but also enriched the cultural life of the school, promoted the interaction and contact between teachers and students at home and abroad, and effectively tested the teaching results. The students also deeply felt the unique charm brought by the integration of diverse cultures.
Beautiful water lantern float in Hua Long Pond
