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The
Bo Sang Umbrella Fair: held in
January in the small village of Bo Sang, near Chiang Mai, derives its
livelihood from making gaily painted paper umbrellas. The fair is held on
the main street and they celebrate their traditional skill with
exhibitions, stalls selling umbrellas and other handicrafts and choose a
beauty pageant where they choose a new Bo Sang beauty queen.
Wood
Carving Fair: Around January –
February, Bangkok holds the Ban Thawai Wood Carving Fair. Here one can
watch demonstrations of woodcarving and other local handicrafts as well as
purchase the products produced. The work is that of Northern Thais and
tends to be more intricate than that of their southern cousins. It’s
well worth a visit. TIP: Best to visit nearer the end of your stay or you
may land up carrying armloads of "heavy" purchases on your
travels.
Chiang Mai Flower Festival: held in the first few days of February
is noted for its colour. The north of Thailand has a rich variety of
flowering plants. Celebrated with floral floats parading the streets as
well as flower displays, beauty pageants and handicraft sales to enjoy.
Chinese
New Year: A time of
firecrackers, lion dancers parading through the streets and time to
‘spring-clean’ the house, is celebrated in February by all
Chinese-Thais. Lanterns line the streets and the smell of incense wafts
through the air. Dragon parades weave down roads and children gad about
everywhere.
Songkran:
The most frenetic festival in the country is that of Songkran, the Luna
New Year. Held from the 13th to 15th April each year…it’s a wet one!
Traditionally it was celebrated by Buddha images being bathed with water
and the showing of respect to monks and elders. From the sprinkling of
water onto someone’s hands as a sign of respect it has evolved into mass
drenching for anyone who decides to venture outdoors. This has to be one
of the friendliest, though wet, festivals anywhere and a great way to make
new friends.
The
Royal Ploughing Ceremony held on
May 14, celebrates the official commencement of the rice-planting season.
This is an ancient Brahman ritual and the participants who perform various
ceremonies, believed to forecast an abundant rice crop, wear colorful
costumes.
The
Royal Ploughing Ceremony:
held on May 14, celebrates the official commencement of the rice-planting
season. This is an ancient Brahman ritual and the participants who perform
various ceremonies, believed to forecast an abundant rice crop, wear
colorful costumes
Buddha’s
birthday : On the 15th May,
Thais celebrate Buddha’s birthday. Local Wats (Buddhist Temples)
celebrate by holding candlelit processions. A tourist may take part in
these parades and it can prove great fun. TIP: Lady visitors please note;
a monk may not touch a woman so please show respect and keep your distance
Asanha Puja,:July sees Thai Buddhists celebrating Buddhist
‘lent’ or Asanha Puja, the full moon festival. Beginning mid to late
in the month, this is the period when young men enter their monk hood for
the rainy season and ordained monks remain in a single monastery for three
months. One can view Buddhist temples throughout the year, but this
tradition can be picturesque due to the activity of the saffron robed
followers.
Queen’s
Birthday :on August 12th and
also Thailand’ s ‘mother’s day’. As with all royal anniversaries
this celebration guarantees a firework display.
The
Vegetarian Festival : held in
early October is celebrated in Phuket and Trang only. For this almost
weeklong celebration, Chinese Buddhists eat only vegetarian food. There
are numerous ceremonies and processions, which are both interesting and
colourful. The food sold in street stalls at this time is well worth
sampling. Self-mortification is practiced during these celebrations and
the participants parade through the streets with bicycle wheels, spears
and the like, pierced through their skin.
Loi Krathong : One of the most beautiful and moving sights are the
festivities relating to the annual festival of Loi Krathong held in
November. This is when you cast away your troubles and call in the hopes
of the future. As the moon rises in the evening a small lotus-shaped raft
of banana leaves filled with flowers, a candle, a snip of your nail, a
piece of your hair and a few coins, is set afloat in the ocean or down a
waterway conjuring up good luck for the forthcoming year. In some areas
large paper hot-air balloons are also released.
King’s
Birthday: December 5 is the
King’s Birthday. The King is much revered throughout Thailand, something
that is probably unique in the world today. His birthday is celebrated by
all Thais and government buildings, private homes, businesses and the
palace are all illuminated specially for the occasion. In some areas such
as Phuket, they hold a regatta in his honor.
Official Holidays
- January 1 - New Year’s Day
-February (full moon day) - Makka Bucha
-April 6 - Chakri Day
-April 13 - Songkran, Thai New Year
-May 1 - Labor Day
-May 5 - Coronation Day
-May 7 - Ploughing Ceremony
-May (full moon day) - Visakha Bucha
-July (full moon day) - Asanha Bucha commemorates the first sermon of
Buddha
-August 12 - Queen’s Birthday
-October 23 - Chulalongkorn Day
-December 5 - King’s Birthday
-December 10 - Constitution Day
-December 31 - New Year’s Eve
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