For instance, people in Ayutthaya province will organise their biggest ever Loy Kratong along the Pasak River. The high level of the river will serve as a spectacular scene for the floating kratong under the reflection of the full moon. This is the best time to cherish life.

Owners of banana orchards destroyed by the flooding said the timing of the festival couldn't be better. They are cutting banana leaves to make kratong for sale.

They hope that value-added kratong, which they plan to sell at Bt30 apiece, should offset the lost income from their ruined plantations.

In Nakhon Sawan province, people look at the festival in the hope that kratong will float away their bad luck. Some parts of the provinces are still suffering from flood levels but, on the bright side, they'll enjoy the sight of the moon over the majestically full Chao Phya River.

The dry season is usually the bad part of the year for people here, most of whom earn their living in rice fields. When Nakhon Sawan faces drought, the Chao Phya turns into a muddy beach where people have to walk from the riverbank to reach the water.

The heavy rains this year have turned the River of Kings into a spectacular sight. As it is said in the most-remembered line of the Loy Kratong song, "On the full day of the 12th lunar month/when the river tide is at its highest level/we both men and women/let's have fun by floating kratong."

Thais are known for their resilience, and the Loy Kratong festival symbolises that it is the nature of life that things shall pass, regardless of how bad they are. As the Lord Buddha said, people should learn to let go.

So, it was quite a shock to learn somebody chose to deliberately kill himself this week to vent his frustration, claiming that he did so for the love of democracy. He chose to go to extremes. Unfortunately, that man didn't have sufficient love for his life.

Jeerawat@nationgroup.com