ロイクラトン祭り、環境に配慮しデジタル灯籠登場　タイ

【バンコクＡＦＰ＝時事】タイで２７日、ロイクラトン祭りが行われた。首都バンコクでは今年、バナナの葉や花、プラスチックなどで作られた灯籠（クラトン）の代わりに、環境に配慮したバーチャル灯籠を流す試みが行われた。（写真はタイ・バンコクで、ロイクラトン祭りでオーンアン運河に投影されたデジタル灯籠）
　伝統的な灯籠は、バナナの葉や花、プラスチックなどで作られる。ろうそくや線香が立てられ、硬貨を載せる人もいる。このため近年では、環境意識の高まりから、すでにごみがたまっている水路がさらに汚染されるとの懸念が広がっていた。
　バンコク都庁は今年、伝統的な灯篭ではなく、バーチャルな灯籠を流すイニシアチブを発表した。
　参加者が紙や携帯上にカラフルな灯籠を描くとスキャンされ、オーンアン運河に投影される仕組みだ。
　参加者の女性（２７）はＡＦＰに対し「伝統は今も残っている。でも、自然への影響と汚染を減らすため、現代風にする必要がある」と語った。
　都庁によると、３７００個のデジタル灯籠が投影された。
　一方、伝統的な灯籠も６０万個を超えた。都庁によると、プラスチックの使用は昨年に比べ３％削減されており、大部分は自然素材でできている。
　チャオプラヤ川に浮かべられた灯籠は、作業員によって回収された後、分別される。生物分解性の素材の物は堆肥とし、プラスチックは埋め立て地に送られる。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2023/11/29-16:12）

Luscious greens, egg-yolk yellows and delicate oranges flickered across waterways in the Thai capital Bangkok, as virtual projections of the Loy Krathong festival's traditional offerings reduced waste at the popular event.
The annual festival, celebrated on Monday, sees millions ask forgiveness from the river goddess Khongkha by releasing colourful floats into waters across Thailand under a full moon.
In recent years environmentalists have expressed concern as Bangkok's already clogged waterways are increasingly choked by the plastic and foliage krathongs, as the offerings are known.
To combat this, a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) initiative took a fresh approach to the centuries-old tradition.
Rather than floating the elaborately constructed offerings -- which include leaves, flowers, plastic, candles, incense sticks and sometimes coins -- people were asked to create digital krathong.
After colouring-in drawings of krathong on paper, or on their phones, attendees' sketches were scanned and then projected onto the city's Ong Ang Canal.
The tradition still remains. But we must integrate the festival to be up-to-date, in order to create less impact and less pollution on nature, attendee Chainarong Tumapha, 27, told AFP.
After colouring-in her krathong, Phattarika Kiltontiwanich agreed change was needed.
I'm quite concerned since the environmental issues have grown much bigger, the 23-year-old told AFP.
The BMA said about 3,700 images were projected across the nighttime waters.
We can see that it's getting a lot of attention, especially among young people, Bangkok official Pornphrom Vikitsreth told AFP.
But the numbers were dwarfed by Bangkokians choosing to release the more traditional floats, with officials saying that more 600,000 were removed from the city's waters.
The BMA said polystyrene usage was down three percent from last year, with the vast majority of offerings made from natural materials.
As people cast off their floats, tugs and small vessels bobbed in the Chao Phraya River, with workers scooping krathongs from the choppy waters.
The collected material will be sorted, with biodegradable elements turned into compost and plastic sent to landfill.
Near the Icon Siam luxury mall, where the krathongs were guided into the Chao Phraya by golden-painted slides, revellers enjoyed a more traditional celebration.
If we don't continue [Loy Krathong], our children and grandchildren will not see this, said 57-year-old Tanaporn Karueksom.