Loy Krathong, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an annual festival celebrated with great fervour in Thailand. On this momentous day, people gather around lakes, rivers and canals to release krathongs and seek forgiveness for contaminating the water bodies, along with expressing gratitude to the goddess of water, Phra Mae Khongkha.

In this picture, a boy places a krathong into a pond at a public park during the Loy Krathong festival, which is held as a symbolic apology to the goddess of the river. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)