Thousands of lanterns light up the sky for Thai festival Thousands of paper lanterns light up the sky over the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai for the Yi Peng lantern festival. According to local tradition, releasing the lanterns is a way to pay respect to Buddha and ward off bad karma. The festival usually takes place on the full moon of the twelfth month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar, and marks the end of the rainy season and the start of winter. IMAGES