Over the years I have seen some really great Thai festivals. This is a list of my Top 10 favourites in no particular order. Loy Krathong Festival (1) As the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (usually in mid-November) lights up the night sky, throughout the Thai kingdom, hundreds of thousands of ornately-decorated krathong or traditional banana leaf floats are set adrift in rivers and waterways in a spell-binding ritual called “Loy Krathong” – the ‘festival of lights”.
Imprinted Candles as Candle Parade In remote Ubon, Thailand’s eastern most province, tourists are usually rarer than a vote for the Democrat Party and the laid back locals seems to like it this way. The wilderness province even boasts Thailand’s most spectacular natural site yet is happy not to tell anyone about it. However once a year this changes as the rains comes down. Ubon’s main claim to fame is its traditional Candle Festival
Songkran Water Fights at Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan It is nearly time for the most popular Thai Festival, Songkran 2011 , which takes place all over Thailand in mid April every year. This is the traditional Thai new year which is the most enjoyable of all festivals both for Thai people and foreign tourists. Songkran is widely known as the water festival as people have lots of fun splashing water over each other during the three day festival. However, Songkran is more than just waterfights
In less than two weeks we will be celebrating the biggest Thai Festival called Songkran 2011 . This takes place all over Thailand in mid-April. The date used to vary but it is now fixed and takes place on 13-15 April every year. Although these are the dates for the public holiday in Thailand, Sonkgran itself will be celebrated over a wider period in different places around Thailand
Muay Thai is truly an international sport these days as people all around the world compete in this ancient form of boxing. However, the spiritual home is definitely here in Thailand with the home base being in the ancient capital of Ayutthaya. Yesterday, 350 boxers from 35 different countries came together at Wat Mahathat to take part in the Wai Khru Ceremony. They came to pay respect to their teachers, and to pay homage to the legendary Muay Thai folk hero, Nai Khanom Tom.
One of the most important places to celebrate Makha Bucha Day, a Buddhist holiday, is at Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan. This royal temple, in Nakhon Si Thammarat in Southern Thailand, houses a relic of the Lord Buddha. On the full moon day during February every year, local people take part in a parade called Hae Pha Khuen That
The most important date on the festival calendar for Nakhon Sawan is the annual Paknam Pho Chinese New Year Festival which lasts for 12 days and 12 nights. The highlights are definitely the two “Chao Por-Chao Mae” Processions which take place in the evening and then the following morning. I recently attended both of these parades through the city and I must say that it was the most impressive Chinese parade that I have seen for a long time. Chinese migrants have been settling down all over Thailand for hundreds of years
On Wednesday 3rd February 2011 we will see the start of the Chinese New Year. This time it is the Year of the Rabbit. Already I have started to hear the crash of cymbals and the occasional firecracker
If you are in Bangkok at the moment then you shouldn’t pass up on the opportunity to go and see a light and sound show at the Grand Palace called “The Golden Heritage of the Rattanakosin Era”. It is running from now until 28th February 2011. It pays homage to the kings of the Chakri Dynasty, but more importantly it is a celebration of H.M
November in Thailand sees some of my favourite festivals. These include Loy Krathong (21st November 2010), Surin Elephant Round-Up (20-21 November 2010), River Kwai Bridge Week (24 Nov-5 Dec 2010) and the Monkey Buffet Festival (28th November 2010). The sunflower season also kicks off in November.
TEDxKrungthep - Bojo Lijauco - "We sing as one"
Bojo Lijauco is the Director of the AUP Ambassadors Chorale Arts Society, Ramon "Bojo" Lijauco, Jr. has been directing the chorale since 1998. With his choir, he has recorded five albums, all CD's containing some of his works. He also collaborated as choirmaster with Italian conductor Ruggero Barbieri for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines PPO Concert Series and the San Agustin Museum International Music Festivals on major orchestral and choral works such as Handel's Messiah, John Rutter's Gloria and Magnificat, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Mozart's Requiem
Over the recent long holiday weekend in Thailand, we celebrated two important Buddhist holidays: Asarnha Bucha and Khao Phansa. The first takes place on the full moon day of the eighth lunar month. It commemorates the Buddha’s first sermon to his first five disciples. On this day people celebrate the Triple Gem
Thailand has quite a few ethnic minorities. One of these groups are the Mons which have their own distinct culture, clothing and language. They originally came from Southern Burma where they were once rulers of their own kingdom
After all the bad news in Thailand over the past few weeks, it is finally good that we can relax and enjoy one of the Kingdom’s most popular festivals. Songkran is the traditional Thai new year which is held every year between 13-15 April. As it is in the middle of the week and that the government has added an extra holiday this Friday, we probably now have the longest Songkran for many years.
These are some of the pictures of the Songkran activities that I will be joining in Samut Prakan this week. As you can see there is a lot going on during the traditional Thai new year and not all of them are to do with water throwing! Though, of course, water fights are the most fun AND the most difficult to photograph. The first main activity took place yesterday which was the Songkran Parade through town. I have already shown you some pictures of that.
