Holidays and Events

Holidays and Events

[Published on 2011-12-01 in Holidays and Events by Jesse Schule]

Celebrating Christmas And New Years In Thailand

With the peak of the tourist season in Thailand being between November and February, many tourists will find themselves celebrating their Christmas holidays in the Land of Smiles. Tourists and expats from all over the world from places like Germany, USA, Scandinavia and Great Britain, and everyone has their own unique traditions that make for a truly multicultural atmosphere during the holidays. While most Europeans celebrate Christmas with a traditional hot turkey dinner, the Swedish tourists and expats enjoy "Julbord" (Christmas Table), which is a variety of mainly cold dishes such as sliced meats, preserves and smoked fish. Thai Buddhists do not celebrate Christmas, however in recent years many Thai families will follow the tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas day, or in some cases on New Years Day.

Traveling to Thailand during the holidays is a wonderful way to spend Christmas with the family

These days almost all Thai people participate in New Years celebrations on News Years Eve, and the festivities are quite similar to what you would find in any other country. There are wild parties, with balloons, fireworks and streamers, and of course the traditional countdown to midnight. Thailand has it's own calendar, and while it is currently 2011, in Thailand it is actually the year 2554, and the Thai new years takes place in April during the Songkran holiday. As anyone who has ever been to Thailand already knows, Thai people love to celebrate and they are more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate New Years twice per year.

Local restaurants and Pubs in popular tourist destinations across the country offer Christmas dinner buffets during the holidays, and most decent restaurants take reservations in advance, as limited seating is available. If you are dreaming of a white Christmas, well you won't find any snow in Thailand, however some tourists opt to make a snowman out of sand in order to recreate the holiday atmosphere. The weather in most popular tourist areas across the country will have an average high of over 30 degrees almost every day in December and January. Popular activities during a holiday season in Thailand include surfing, water skiing, scuba diving and sun bathing as apposed to the winter activities that would be popular in Europe or North America.

Many tourists will take the opportunity to do their Christmas shopping in Thailand during their stay, purchasing gifts for their relatives overseas at a fraction of what it would cost in their home country. Bangkok's shopping districts of Pratu Nam and Chatuchak Market are loaded with affordable toys, clothing and souvenirs that make ideal gifts for children and distant relatives. Traveling to Thailand during the holidays is a wonderful way to spend Christmas with the family, the warm weather and affordable prices make living it up and enjoying the finer things in life just a little bit easier. Whether it is Phuket, Pattaya, Koh Samui, or Chiang Mai, it will be a holiday to remember. Perhaps this is why so many foreigners are choosing to spend Christmas and New Years in Thailand year after year.

 


[Published on 2011-10-20 in Holidays and Events by Jesse Schule]

Loy Krathong

Thailand's Festival Of Lights 

Thai Festival Loy Krathong The festival of Loy Krathong takes place on the night of the full moon in the 12th lunar month, usually in November. When the sun goes down on the night of Loy Krathong, the people of Thailand move to the nearest lake, river or canal to release the Krathong, allowing it to sail off into the darkness until the light of the candle is no longer visible. The Krathong is a decorative float, normally made of the stalk of a banana tree, with an arrangement of flowers and banana leaves designed to replicate a lotus blossom. According to the local legend, when you light the candle and place the float in the water, you make a wish, and the longer the candle stays lit, the more likely it is that your wish will come true. 

There could not be a better time for tourists to travel to Thailand

Similar to the ritual of releasing floats into the waterways, Thai people also send hot air lanterns sailing off into the sky, with the same principle of making a wish and then watching the lantern drift off into the night. The lanterns are made of thin rice paper, with a fuel source of wax, as the fire heats the air inside the lantern, it is forced up into the sky. It is an ingenious design that allows for easy and affordable production, with lanterns selling for less than a dollar a piece. In some areas of Thailand, the night skies on Loy Krathong are brightly lit with lanterns as far as the eye can see. 

The festival of Loy Krathong is particularly significant to young couples, as it is considered to be the Thai equivalent of Valentine's Day. Thai women will often dress in traditional costumes on the night of Loy Krathong, wearing colorful robes and garments in the ancient Thai style. When a young couple set a Krathong afloat, or send a lantern into the sky, they hope and pray that the candle stays lit until it falls out of sight, signifying a long and healthy relationship for the future. 

Tourists are encouraged to participate in the festivities, and there are often concerts and other entertainment venues set up to cater to visitors. The festival is aggressively advertised by the Thai government in order to draw in visitors from around the world and promote tourism. Along with the festival of Songkran (Thai New Year), this is one of the most important events of the year in Thailand. While it is a fantastic experience for foreigners, it is a very important religious and spiritual ritual for Thai people. 

This year the holiday falls on the night of November 10th, and the entire country will be united in celebration on this night. There could not be a better time for tourists to travel to Thailand, taking part in this Thai festival is a truly memorable experience. The festival is celebrated in every city, town and province across the country, however the most elaborate festivities take place in Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, or in the ancient capital of Sukhothai. 


[Published on 2011-10-18 in Holidays and Events by Jesse Schule]

Thailand

Full Moon Party On Koh PhanganThe full moon party at Had Rin Beach on the island of Koh Phangan tops the list of things to do and places to see for many young tourists traveling to Thailand. Every month on the night of the full moon, tourists from all over the world come to celebrate one of the biggest parties on the planet. The full moon party is as world renowned as Mardi Gras in New Orleans, October Fest in Germany or Carnival in Brazil. One thing separates the full moon party from all these prestigious annual events, while you have to wait a whole year for the next October Fest or Carnival, you can celebrate the full moon party every month.

You don't go to the full moon party for a few quiet drinks, it is an all night and all day affair, with live music and half dressed young men and women dancing on the beach from dusk until dawn. It is estimated that every month between 10,000 - 30,000 people make the journey to Koh Phangan to celebrate the party. There are International and Thai DJs playing popular house music throughout the day and night. When tourists grow tired of dancing on the beach they will find several bars and clubs offering a different party atmosphere.

Over the years the crowds of people that gather during the full moon party have often been taking part in a drug culture, using a variety of illegal narcotics to enhance their stamina and keep the party going. While the authorities may have been tolerant in the past, these days the police are very serious about cracking down on drug use, and this includes roadblocks and spot searches all around the island of Koh Phangan during the party. This should be more than enough of a deterrent to stop anyone in their right mind from attempting to bring drugs with them, however not everyone has the common sense that they should. Dozens of tourists find themselves in serious trouble for their momentary lapse in judgement, and this is truly unfortunate, because the penalties are normally far more serious than they could have imagined.

The local legend is that the origin of the full moon party began with a group of backpackers that came across the crescent shaped beach at Had Rin, and decided that this was the most magical spot to enjoy the full moon. They are said to have begin organizing parties at Had Rin during the early 1980s, with only small groups of their friends. In the years that followed these parties began to grow more and more popular, by the time the 1990s rolled around these parties had become a mainstream tourist attraction. Nowadays the full moon party is considered to be amongst the world's top 10 parties, and it has become so popular that now they even have half moon parties in order to accommodate for the growing demand of party seeking tourists.

Below is a list of the upcoming dates for 2012:

  • January 8, 2012
  • February 8, 2012
  • March 7, 2012
  • April 6, 2012
  • May 6, 2012
  • June 4, 2012
  • July 3, 2012
  • August 4, 2012
  • September 1, 2012
  • September 30, 2012
  • October 29, 2012
  • November 28, 2012
  • December 25, 2012
  • December 28, 2012
  • December 31, 2012

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