Iconic Star Festival lights up Sakon Nakhon subdistrict
The Thai-Catholic communities in Sakhon Nakhon’s Tha Rae subdistrict on Wednesday launched their iconic “Star Festival” to celebrate Christmas until December 26.
The festival commenced at 7pm, with an 800-metre-long procession of “star rafts” from the Tha Rae Irrigation Office to the Municipal Public Park in Muang district adjacent to Nong Han Lake.
The rafts, which were elaborately decorated with giant five-point stars and lighting, will be floated on the lake along with a number of small boats, which have also been equipped with illuminated stars.
According to a story that has been handed down, in November 1884, 35 families – partly of Vietnamese and partly Laotian origin – arrived at the lake, led by French missionary Xavier Guego. They were looking for a place to establish a new community and, after asking for the protection of St Michael, set out in makeshift boats to “sail into the wind”, which carried them to a forested shore where Tha Rae stands today.
To celebrate the occasion, processions of vehicles decorated with stars will also take to the road in several locations in Tha Rae from December 23 to 26, including St Michael’s Cathedral and Sakon Nakhon St Joseph School.
All decorated vehicles will descend on the Municipal Public Park on December 26, giving tourists the opportunity to witness their beauty and snap pictures.
To keep Covid-19 at bay, the province has set up 15 thermal scanning checkpoints complete with hand-sanitiser dispensers at event areas, while visitors are required to wear face masks at all times.
