real floating lights

First off, I don't think I've met one person who didn't like this movie. . .

Tangled (2010)

Now, check this out. And if you're like me, and had no clue that the lanterns in Tangled weren't totally just made up for the movie, you might, like me, think this is way awesome.

Photo by Sanchai Loongroong

Look familiar? It's Thailand's lantern festival, Yi Peng, held on a November full moon each year. Hundreds of floating lanterns are launched to celebrate a time for tham bun, to make merit. The lamps are usually made with thin fabric and a fuel source like a candle so that when it's lit, the hot air gets trapped inside the lantern and lifts it into the air like a hot air balloon.

I came across this pic of the Thailand festival while looking at a website of random, cool photography. At first, I was surprised that it looked just like the ones in Tangled - but then, I realized, of course, Disney must have gotten the idea from Thailanders.

The point of posting about this is:

a) It's just really cool and I wish there were festivals like this in my country.

b) I realized something - that I really don't know much of anything about different cultures around the world. There are so many of us on this planet, and I pretty much have a hard enough time just trying to understand the guys at school (in my defense, they've definitely got their own culture). But there are entire cultures just as complex as my own that I have yet to be able to first even become aware of.

I'm really glad I came across this photo because it made me remember that I am just a small little girl in a small little town in a small little moment in time. There is so much out there to learn and experience and understand, and I really hope that throughout my life, I can keep having similar epiphanies to remind me of how much bigger than me the world really is.


P.S. I think it fitting that I listened to Tangled music while writing this.