Arts and Crafts

Church of Christ in Thailand

The Thai people celebrate the festival of Loy Krathong in mid-November. The name means "floating lotus cups," and lotus-shaped paper boats containing lit candles are floated down rivers, ponds, and pools. The people believe the boats carry away their problems.

Loy Krathong Boat

Materials needed:

Paper grocery bags
Small tea light candles
Scissors
Wading pool with water (optional)

Cut a large square from the grocery bag. (Two 17" squares can be cut from one grocery bag, after cutting out the bottom.) Fold the square diagonally. Open it, and fold it in the other direction diagonally. Open it back up. You now have a center mark.

Bring the four corners to the center, one at a time, and press flat.

Bring the four new corners that have been formed to the center and press flat.

Lift the top triangles straight up. Lift the lower triangles slightly. Make the creases sharper on these triangles.

Put the tea light in, and your lotus boat is ready to float your problems away! (But try prayer.)

For safety, only light the tea light candle when the boat is floating in water. You may wish to have a child's wading pool set up so that the candles can be lit and the boats floated. It could be a prayer corner, or a center for worship, etc.