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Calendar and Festivals |
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Public Holidays 2007 |
Full Moon Party 2007 |
Thai Festivals |
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Public Holidays 2007 |
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Jan |
1 |
New Year's Day |
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Feb |
8 |
Magha Bucha Day |
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April |
6 |
Chakri Memorial Day Commemorates King Rama I |
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April |
13-15 |
Songkran and Family Day (Thai New Year) |
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May |
1 |
Labor Day |
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May |
4 |
Royal Ploughing Ceremony |
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May |
5 |
Coronation Day |
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May |
7 |
Visakha Bucha |
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July |
1 |
Mid-year Day Bank holiday only |
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July |
5 |
Asahala Puja Day |
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July |
6 |
Khao Phansa Day (Buddhist Lent Day) |
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Aug |
12 |
HM The Queen's Birthday |
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Oct. |
23 |
Chulalongkorn Day |
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Dec. |
5 |
HM The King's Birthday |
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Dec. |
10 |
Constitution Day |
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Dec. |
31 |
New Year's Eve |
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Full Moon Party 2007 |
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April |
2nd |
Monday |
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May |
1st |
Tuesday |
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June |
1st |
Friday |
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June |
29th |
Friday |
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July |
31st |
Tuesday |
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Aug |
28th |
Tuesday |
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Sep |
26th |
Wednesday |
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Oct |
26th |
Friday |
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Nov |
24th |
Saturday |
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Dec |
24th |
Monday |
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Popular Islands for Full Moon Party are
Kho Pangan, Kho Tao, Kho Chang and Koh Samet. |
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Thai Festivals |
Songkan
All things wet and wonderful
Definitely the wettest, most exuberant of Thai celebrations, Songkran is a time
to douse thoroughly anything or anyone within reach. Coinciding with the old
Thai New Year on April 13, this national holiday prompts nation-wide
celebrations lasting three days.
It is a time of merit making, beauty competitions, and good-natured water
throwing. Songkran is a charmingly uninhibited celebration, a time to invoke
good luck (in terms of plentiful water supply) for the coming rainy season. And
in these hot summer temperatures, what could be more sensible than a cooling
splash of water? The tradition began, however, as a far more polite and
respectful affair.
Scented water was gently tipped on to the shoulder of passers-by as a new year
greeting. Later it "developed" into its present form, especially in Chiang Mai,
where bowlfuls of water are tossed on everyone, and multi-colored plastic water
guns abound. It's a time for wearing casual, quick-drying clothes because you
are guaranteed to get wet if you venture out, and indeed, it is considered an
honor to be soaked. It's not only human beings that get splashed. Buddha images
get their fair share of drenching, too, although for them it's a gentler ritual.
Mounted high on flower-adorned floats, the images are paraded outside their
temple homes for their annual dousing. Jasmine-scented water is gently thrown
from small cups over the images in a display of respect and reverence. This
takes place on the second day of Songkran, and it is accompanied by joyful
dancing and drumming. In northern provinces many wear the traditional dark blue
of the farming people to symbolize the agrarian roots of the region. Jasmine
flowers abound in the form of fragrant white garlands and hair decoration. In
Bangkok, festivities begin with the parading of the Phra Buddha Sighing on the
grounds outside the Grand Palace. Soon everyone is wet. Khon Kaen is another
interesting place to be at this time with its floral float processions and
north-eastern folk entertainment. Songkran is also a time for the lovely
ceremony called Rot Nam Dam Hua, in which younger people bathe the hands of
their elders in scented water and ask forgiveness for any misdeeds. The elders
respond with blessings and advice to their juniors.
Loy Krathong
The festival of lights
Beneath a full November moon, waterways and houses glow with candlelight, wishes
are made, and the sins of the year are ritually washed away. This is the
country's most picturesque celebration: Loy Krathong, the "festival of lights".
Gates and doorways are festooned with palm leaves and colorful paper lanterns.
The evening hours are filled with the crack and whiz of fireworks, and every
river, pond, and gully sparkles with countless tiny points of light. People
gather in their thousands beside the khlongs and rivers. With a silent prayer
they carefully place their krathongs (banana-leaf floats) in the water and
release them to the current.
Freighted with flowers, incense, and one or more lit candles, the floats drift
silently downstream. People watch intently, hoping that the candle will not go
out. Its flame is said to signify longevity, fulfillment of wishes and release
from sins. It is a moving sight-the hopes and dreams of an entire city drifting
gently to their destination. Loy Krathong is very much a time to reflect deeply
on the mystery of our journey through life and the joy of shared traditions. The
releasing of a krathong to the river is also a gesture of respect to the river
goddess Mae Kong Ka. It is in part a thanksgiving for her bounty in providing
water for livelihood and agriculture, and in part a plea for forgiveness for
having polluted her waters. One of the most significant and historic Loy
Krathong celebrations in the kingdom is held in Sukhothai, with a spectacular
light-and-sound show.
In Chiang Mai, the largest krathongs are the decorated floats carried on trucks
in procession. Prepared by local organizations and adorned with thousands of
flowers in exquisite designs, the colorfully lit floats form a long, glittering
parade as they make their way to the river. Perched high in the magnificent
floral displays are beautiful women dressed in traditional costume. The floats
are later judged, and prizes are awarded. Ayutthaya and Tak are also famed for
their elaborate Loy Krathong celebrations.
Meanwhile, up above thousands of khom loy (floating lanterns) drift up into the
night sky. These large balloon-like lanterns are released at temples and
sometimes from private homes in the hope that misfortune flies away with them.
Kao Phansa
End of the rains retreat
Months of rains and cloudy skies have passed. Flatlands are now a tapestry of
waterlogged rice paddies, and beneath a full October moon people celebrate the
end of Buddhist lent. Special offerings of food and other gifts are made to the
monks in a typically Thai display of pageantry and splendor.
There is every reason to celebrate. Legend has it that Lord Buddha once
retreated to heaven during the rainy months and preached to his mother who had
died seven days after his birth. After some months the sky opened and the king
of heaven, along with his angels, constructed a triple stairway of gold, silver,
and precious gems to link his domain to earth.
Down one stairway came an escort of angels, down another the monks who had
followed the Buddha to the heavens, and down the center came Lord Buddha
himself. At the foot he was welcomed with great joy and presented with food by
his followers.
These days many temple gatherings like to commemorate this legendary descent by
placing a Buddha image in a decorated cart and bringing it ceremoniously down
from a low hill. People line the route and place offerings of food in a large
alms bowl placed before the image. Monks follow in procession, also with alms
bowls.
The monks themselves have effectively had three months of retreat. Forbidden
from moving far from their temple residence during the rains, they are
encouraged to use the time to pursue their scripture studies and meditation. The
custom dates back to bygone times when roads were virtually non-existent, and
travel by foot or oxcart would be greatly hampered in the rainy season by mud
and by floods.
After the rains, when the monks "descend" once more into their more outward
responsibilities they are presented with new robes and other gifts in a ceremony
called Thot Kathin which takes place in the succeeding days after lent. The
ceremony links the whole country in a month of merit-making and shared support
for the temples. Much entertainment and merry-making accompany the
presentations. Music and feasting feature highly, and a procession accompanies
the kathin robes, which may be borne on a decorated cart, by boat, or even on
the back f an elephant.
Many provinces have their own unique way of celebrating the month of Thot Kathin.
Nan province is particularly famous for its Lanna boat races, Nakhon Phanom
celebrates with intricately decorated boats each containing lighted candles and
set a drift on the Mekong River. North easterners celebrate this time by
offering decorative beeswax creations in the form of Buddhist temples and
shrines. |
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