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Festivals & Events
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January
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Chiang Mai Winter Fair
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Beauty pageants boxing
competitions, stalls selling a range of locally made goods and very loud
music make this an exciting, if unsophisticated, event.
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February
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Chiang
Mai Flower Festival
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More
beauty contests, handicraft sales, flower displays and a parade of
beautifully decorated floats take to the streets as Chiang Mai residents
celebrate the blooming of nature. Representing the day the Buddha was born,
the day He attained Enlightenment, and the day of His passing, this
festival falls on the day of the full moon of Kason in the Myanmar
calendar, in early May. Visits are made to pagodas to water the sacred Bo
Trees - under which species the Buddha is said to have attained
Enlightenment.
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Phra Buddhabat
Festival
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The Shrine of the Holy
Footprint near Saraburi draws Buddhists from all over the country to make
merit.
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March
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Asean Barred Ground
Dove Festival
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Dove-lovers from
across Thailand, and neighboring countries congregate at Khwan Muang
Park, in Yala Province,
to display their prize doves and take part in the dove-cooing competition,
which usually involves more than 1,400 participants.
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April
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Songkran
Festival
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This is
the traditional Thai New Year and usually falls around the middle of the
month. It is a time for local people to pay homage to Buddha images, clean
their homes, and sprinkle water on their elders in a show of respect. This
has developed in recent years into open water warfare, with everything from
hoses to ten gallon tubs used to guarantee a thorough soaking of the
target. This is particularly popular in the tourist areas of Khao San Road, Bangkok, and Chiang Mai. The latter
also holds colourful parades and religious ceremonies.
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Pattaya Festival
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Usually a week after
the Songkran festivities in Bangkok,
this is a riotous celebration with parades, floats, beauty contests, food
festivals, and a spectacular fireworks display.
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May
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Royal
Ploughing Ceremony
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Presided
over by the King and Queen at Sanam Luang in Bangkok, this ancient Brahmin festival
marks the beginning of the rice-planting season. Predictions are made about
weather and harvests for the coming year on the basis of which of the
selected foods the sacred cows choose.
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Visakha Bucha
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Marked by night-time processions
of worshippers around almost every temple in the kingdom, this festival
celebrates the birth, enlightenment and passing of Lord Buddha.
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Yasothon
Rocket Festival
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Villagers
from the poor northeastern province
of Yasothon compete
with each other to make the biggest, most explosive bamboo rockets during
this annual rainmaking festival. Prizes are awarded for the rocket that
reaches the highest trajectory.
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June
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Phi Ta Khon Festival
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Another rainmaking
festival, this one for the northeastern province of Loei,
though not quite so explosive. Local people parade in the streets in highly
decorated ghost masks and costumes.
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July
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Asalaha
Bucha Day
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Commemorating
the Buddha's first sermon, this also marks the beginning of Khao Pansa, a
period of three months during which monks must remain in their temples and
strictly observe their religious duties. This is also a popular time for
young Thai men to enter the monkhood for a short peiod.
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Candle Festival
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Coinciding with
Asalaha Bucha, this festival sees the streets of Ubon Ratchathani filled
with processions of huge, beautifully carved beeswax candles, some of them
several metres tall, that are to be presented to
local temples.
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August
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Birthday of Her
Majesty the Queen
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Also marking Mother's
Day in Thailand,
the 12th of August see the towns and villages of the country festively
decorated with lights and portraits of the Queen
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September
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Phichit Boat Races
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Though boat races take
place in several towns along the Mekong
River in September, the
spectacular annual rowing regatta in Phichit takes place on the Nan River, which runs through the
provincial capital. Low-slung wooden boats rowed with great gusto to the
hearty cheers of spectators make this an exciting day at the races.
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October
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Chulalongkorn
Day
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Commemorating
the death of King Rama V on the 23rd of October. The memory of this much
beloved king is honoured with thousands of wreaths laid at his Equestrian
Statue at the Royal
Plaza.
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Awk Pansa
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To mark the end of the
Buddhist Rains Retreat (Khao Pansa), monks at temples throughout the
country are presented with robes and other utility items by merit-makers.
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Vegetarian
Festival
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This ten
day Chinese festival in Phuket has become world-famous for the gory
pictures of people impaling their faces and bodies with everything from
swords, spears and even fish. Apparently unable to feel pain and in a
trance-like state, these people of Chinese ancestry parade in the streets
with the various arrays of sharp objects still protruding from their flesh.
A little less gory are the beauty pageants, fairs and food stalls that line
the streets of Phuket town.
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Wax Castle Festival
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The end of Buddhist
Lent is marked by the people in the northeast of Thailand with the creation of
miniature beeswax Buddhist temples and shrines. These "wax
castles" help them to gain merit, which will determine their future
rebirth. Sakon Nakhon has one of the most spectacular festivals with a
grand wax procession, boat races and traditional northeastern cultural
performances.
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Chon
Buri Buffalo Races
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A chance
for buffalos to do more than just plough fields as they compete in races
and contests pitting the strength of man against that of his faithful farm
animal.
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November
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Loy Krathong
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River spirits are
placated for another year with gifts of Krathongs floated on rivers, canals
and lakes on the night of the full moon. Made of banana leaves, and
decorated with incense and candles, thousands of these beautiful boats light
up the night. The most beautiful sights are at the Bang Sai Arts &
Crafts Centre near Ayutthaya,
and in the ruins of Sukhothai, the first Thai capital, where the festival
is supposed to have originated.
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Surin
Elephant Roundup
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With
tug-o-wars, demonstrations of logging skills, ancient warfare parades, and
even games of football, the elephants of Surin entertain the crowds of
visitors to this north eastern town.
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River Kwai
Bridge Week
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The River Kwai bridge,
in Kanchanaburi, is the setting for this week-long festival, from November
21 to December 2, featuring spectacular sound and light performances on the
bridge, archaeological and historical exhibitions, and vintage train rides.
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Golden Mount Festival
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A major Bangkok festival with
colourful sideshows, food stalls, music and
entertainment. The Golden Mount comes alive with flickering lights after
dark, as a candle-lit procession winds its way to the top.
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Illuminated Boat
Procession
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Elaborately adorned
boats containing merit-making offerings are set adrift at nightfall along
the banks of the Mekong at Nakhon Phanom.
This dazzling event marks the end of the Buddhist Lent.
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December
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Birthday of His
Majesty the King
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Flags, lights and portraits
of His Majesty the King adorn the streets and building of every town and
village on the 5th and the occasion is marked by a huge and spectacular
fireworks display near the Grand
Palace.
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Trooping
of the Colours
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This
colourful parade of the armed forces in full dress uniform at the Royal Plaza is to confirm their allegiance
to the King and country.
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Phuket King's Cup
Regatta
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Southeast Asia's
leading regatta, held in the waters off the island of Phuket
and starting on the first Saturday of the month. Competitors come from
around the world to take part in this annual event.
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Ayutthaya Festival
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Designated
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1991, this former capital city celebrates
its glorious past with historical exhibitions, traditional cultural
processions and performances, light & sound presentations around city
ruins, and many other forms of entertainment.
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Chiang Mai Food
Festival
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Celebrating the
northern capital's great cuisine, with local specialities, fruit carving
demonstrations, and cultural shows.
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