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Festivals are an essential part of Thai life and as such offer
the visitor a valuable opportunity not only for having fun, but
also for gaining an insight into various aspects of Thai culture.
This is especially true in the rural areas where the year is still
dictated by the agricultural cycle and times of toil are punctuated
by seasonal festivals that serve as both holidays and propitious
occasions.
Mary festivals follow the lunar calendar and are thus moveable
feasts, while others have set annual dates. There are, however,
so many throughout the year that whenever you arrive in Thailand
you can be pretty sure of being in time for one special occasion
or another.
Bo Sang Umbrella Festival (January 2009)
At this festival, Bo Sang Village holds a demonstration and sale
of various items made of sa paper, especially umbrellas. Besides,
there are cultural shows, parades and handicrafts competition.
Flower Festival (February 6-8, 2009)
This event occurs during the period when Chiang Mai's temperate
and tropical flowers are in full bloom. The festivities include
colourful floral floats, parades, traditional dancing shows and
a beauty contest. See our personal photos here
and here.
City Pillar Inthakin Festival
City Pillar Inthakin Festival is held to invoke blessings of peace,
happiness and prosperity for the city and its residents. Buddha
images are paraded around the city. It is held at Wat Chedi Luang
for 7 auspicious days and nights in the 7th lunar month.
Songkran Festival (April 13-15, 2009)
The celebrations of this Thailand New Year festival in Chiang Mai has become more
and more famous each year. The traditional events include merit-making
at temples, cultural shows, dancing shows, a beauty contest and
parade and good-natured water throwing. One significant event
is the procession of highly revered Phra Phuttha Sihing Buddha
image through the streets of Chiang Mai for people to sprinkle
water at as a form of worship.
Loi Krathong Festival (Nov 2, 2009)
This old festival held on the full moon night of November is said
to be the most charming of all in Thailand. In Chiang Mai, a
procession of floats with beautiful maidens sitting on goes through
the city to the bank of the Mae Ping River, where hundreds of
people assembling to float their banana-leaf containers (krathong)
decorated with flowers and candles onto the river to worship,
Mae Khong Kha, the Goddess of Water.
For more our personal details and festival recommendations from
those holidays mentioned above, see When
to Come to Chiang
Mai.
For details on other festivals around Thailand see content
at this link http://www.travexnet.com/festivals/;
click on the Dates and Details for
each 3 months to see individual dates for each festival.
Also, take a look at http://ash-hotel.com/siam/festival.htm for
more festival content.
We
HIGHLY recommend the Vegetarian Festival
in Phuket during October each year.
Thailand Public Holidays for 2009
| January 1 |
New Year's Day |
| February 9 |
Makha
Bucha Day |
| April
6 |
Chakri
Day |
| April 13-15 |
Songkran Days |
| May 1 |
National Labour Day |
| May 5 |
Coronation
Day |
| May 8 |
Visakha
Bucha Day
7km Pilgrimage up Doi Suthep |
| July 7 |
Buddhist Lent Day |
| August 12 |
H.M. The Queen's Birthday (also Thailand's Mother's Day) |
| October 23 |
Chulalongkorn
Memorial Day |
| December 5 (7th Observed) |
H.M.
The King's Birthday
(also Thailand's Father's Day) |
| December 10 |
Constitution Day
|
| December 31 |
New
Year's Eve |
| Jan 1 2010 |
New
Year's Day |
Chiang Mai Visit: How to get to Chiang Mai, Thailand
Chiang Mai is a popular destination in the north of Thailand. All
details for how to do it are provided by the Tourism Authority of
Thailand including... General Information, How to get there, Maps,
Festivals, Local Products, Attractions, Shopping, Dining, Where
To Stay...
www.tourismthailand.org/destinationguide/list.aspx?provinceid=38
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