Photo from Wikipedia
Thais love festivals and holidays. From the world’s largest water fight, Songkran, to the most colourful and famous Loy Kratong, you will find a hive of activity, parades, food, handicraft displays, performances, people making merit at temples and a whole lot more. Visiting or witnessing a festival in Thailand is an experience one should make in a lifetime.
Festivals and holidays include:
Thot Kra Tin – meri making ceremonies in temples (that happen almost everyday)
New Year (English), Chinese Lunar New Year (Jan-Feb), Muslim New Year (Mar-Apr)
Maha Puja – Buddhist commemorative day (Feb 28)
Chakri Day – Royal commemorative day (Apr 6)
Maha Songkran Water Festival (Apr 13-15)
Labour Day – May 1
Coronation Day – May 5
Visakha Puja – Full Moon in May
Ahsa Puja (Asaraha Bucha) – Full moon late July
Khao Pansa – start of Buddhist lent, right after Ahsa Puja
Queens Birthday – Aug 12
Heh Tian – The candle festival (mid Aug)
Awk Pansa – End of rain’s retreat, full moon before Loi Kratong
Chulalongkorn Day – Oct 23
Loi Kratong – Full Moon (End Oct-Mid Nov)
King’s Birthday – Dec 5
Constitution Day – Dec 10
One of the most incredibly amazing things about Thailand is its holidays; the number of New years is astounding. The old Thai calendar starts in December. Then there’s January 1st, the English new year, followed by the Chinese Lunar New Year (late Jan to early Feb). There is also a Moslem one around the beginning of March, Maha Songkran is the Hindu new year, a Buddhist one in mid April and the hill tribes have their own new years as well!
Photo from Wikipedia
Songkran is the world’s largest water fight and dominates the general region for about a week to 10 days. People take sand from river banks to temples to replace anything they dragged out on their feet, leaving, over the year, then consecrate each other with water. Another water festival worth catching is the 4 nation Mekong boat races around the same time.
One of the favourite and best loved holidays, the Loy Kratong, incidentally, is not a legal holiday. Beautiful and internationally famous, it is the most colourful of the year and almost every person, of whatever persuasion, participates. The parades are stupendous! Taking place over 3 days of the twelfth lunar month full moon – usually starting on the first full moon night in November. On the nights of the festival, people release small floats into a river or body of water, honouring Goddess Mae Khong Kha for supplying its use and asking for forgiveness, for having polluted the water. Thereby, one is thought to limit bad luck and let one’s sins float away…
The day prior to Loi Kratong’s full moon, houses are decorated with palm fronds, coloured paper, lanterns and birthday cake candles in small clay dishes. At dusk, lanterns and candles are placed along walls and gates, and fireworks set off. On the day of the full moon, offerings are given at temples; and in the evening, candle-balloons are released. The beautiful, mysterious candle balloons, spectacular fireworks and crowded parades make each festival memorably grand. Early on festival evenings, people go to places with water to launch their kratongs. Coconut huskes used to be used, but a kratong is now often of Styrofoam surrounded by banana leaves. Flowers, candles, incense, money and other offerings are placed in the middle, often with a lock of hair or fingernails adding a personal touch and identity.
Many Miss Loi Kratong contests for women dressed in traditional costumes, are held when the festival comes to an end on the third night. Miss Loi Kratong is also Miss Noppamat, representing the daughter of a Brahmin priest at the counrt of ancient Sukhotai, who impressed her King with her release of lotus flowers into the river in his honour.
In various Chinese communities, the Wai Jao Kanom Pra Jaan Festival takes place during the mid-September full moon. In the early evening, just before 7pm, pastries and fruit are set out on tables in front of the hourses. When the moon has come up bright, everyone eats. If it rains, they do it in their doorways and eat about 9pm.
Weekends in October bring candle balloons, rockets and fireworks for Awk Pansa and Bin Tha Bat (Tod Kathin at rainy season’s end, in part of families to honour their dead). Awk Pansa, when the Buddha is welcomed back from heaven (at the end of Lent), is celebrated with Kinaree and Lion dances.
Visaka Bucha (full moon in May), Makha Bucha (Feb) and Dhevo Rohana (11th Lunar Month, Oct) are also important Buddhist devotional and offering days. During these times, purely religious observations tend to take place early morning. Significant funerals have parade like processions, food and drink. Marriages tend to be a little more private.
