Cleaners paddle though trash left over from a Buddhist festival which sees devotees float candle-lit floral baskets into rivers.<br /><br />Millions of people around Thailand and neighbouring countries celebrated Loi Krathong by releasing the decorations into lakes, rivers and beaches to honour the "Goddess of Water"<br /><br />But shocking footage from the Ping River in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, shows the aftermath, with workers still struggling to collect the mountains of waste three days after the event.<br /><br />Officials said that 40 tonnes of waste from Loi Krathong baskets would be collected from the river this year, fewer than the 70 tonnes last year. <br /><br />The Chiang Mai Department of Irrigation said they expected to have them all cleaned up by Friday. Leftovers will be sorted before being made into compost. <br /><br />Loi Krathong, or Loy Krathong, is said to have started in the 12th century in the ancient Thai kingdom.<br /><br />Millions of devotees in Thailand and neighbouring countries, including Burma, Laos and Cambodia, now take part in the spectacle.<br /><br />Meaning ''to float a basket," the event follows the Buddhists belief of paying respect to the religion's water goddess.<br /><br />The festival takes place on the 12th month of the traditional Thai lunar calendar when there is a full moon. The exact date of Loi Krathong changes every year. <br /><br />This year, officials have encouraged followers to use bio-degradabe material to avoid harming the environment.
