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Society
Celebrations in Thailand
Bangkok
Songkran,
the Thai New Year, is celebrated nationally from 12th to 14th April. In Bangkok,
festivities take place at Sanam Luang, where a revered Buddha image is bathed as
part of the merit-making rituals. Over the years, the festival has become a
boisterous affair of water throwing. Few people escape getting soaked. Visakha
Puja in May marks the birth, death and enlightenment of the Buddha. It is
celebrated with candlelight processions around important temples. At the Royal
Ploughing Ceremony, held at Sanam Luang in May, oxen and Brahmin priests
predict the coming agricultural season. The Golden Mount Fair is the best chance
to see a typical Thai temple fair, complete with fun fair, performers and
candlelight processions. The Trooping of the Colours in the Royal Plaza is the
best of many nationwide celebrations marking King
Bhumibol's birthday.
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Central Plains
Every July, pilgrims flock to the Temple of the Holy
Footprint near Saraburi for the elaborate Phra
Phutthabat Fair which features local theatre and folk music performances. Loi
Krathong, the water-lantern festival, is celebrated nationwide on the
full-moon night in November. People flock to waterways to launch small
lotus-shaped vessels which float away the sins of the past year and bring good
luck for the future. River
Khwae Bridge Week Fair, held at Kanchanaburi in late November and early
December, marks the building of the infamous bridge with historical displays and
a dramatic sound and light show. Northern Bo Sang is famous for its hand-painted umbrellas, and the Bo
Sang Umbrella Fair in January features umbrella painting competitions,
umbrella exhibitions, parades and a Miss Bo Sang beauty contest. At the Chiang
Mai Festival of Flowers in February parades of lavish floral floats fill the
northern capital with color. Mae Hong Son comes alive during the Poi
Sang Long Festival in late March or early April, highlighted by a mass
ordination ceremony for Shan boys wearing sumptuous costumes.
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Northern
Bo Sang is famous for its hand-painted umbrellas, and the Bo
Sang Umbrella Fair in January features umbrella painting competitions,
umbrella exhibitions, parades and a Miss Bo Sang beauty contest. At the Chiang
Mai Festival of Flowers in February parades of lavish floral floats fill the
northern capital with color. Mae Hong Son comes alive during the Poi
Sang Long Festival in late March or early April, highlighted by a mass
ordination ceremony for Shan boys wearing sumptuous costumes.
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Southern
Traditional Southern culture gets an airing at the Korlae
Boat Racing & Narathiwat Produce Festival in late September, featuring
races between brightly painted traditional fishing boats, dove-cooing contests,
and performances of Southern music and dance. For sheer spectacle, it is hard to
beat the Phuket
Vegetarian Festival in early October. This nine-day event, marking the start
of Taoist Lent, is celebrated by people of Chinese ancestry. During the festival
followers eat only vegetarian food and take part in acts of self-mortification,
such as piercing the body with skewers, with no apparent harm.
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Information
Provided by the Thai Embassy
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