Celebrating Christmas And New Years In Thailand - Green Door Enterprises

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.