Festivities - Entertain Yourself at festivities in Thailand
ENTERTAIN YOURSELF AT FESTIVITIES IN THAILAND
The Thai term sanook means fun, enjoyment, satisfaction, or even elation caused by stimulating activity. Sanook is a characteristic of Thai people and society - Thais love to celebrate and take every opportunity to enjoy themselves and share their happy moments with guests. The spirit of fun permeates all social functions and festivals held at national and local levels and, consequently, numerous Thai festivals feature prominently on the tourist calendar.
AMAZING FESTIVALS
The Underwater Wedding Festival off the coast of Trang province coincides with St Valentine's Day in February. The area is a favorite dive site and enthusiasts from around the world come back again and again. In the year 2000, Trang earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the world's largest underwater wedding ceremony. Numbers grow annually due to the unique ambience and hospitable arrangements that make it memorable for divers, lovers, families, and guests.
The Songkran Festival marks New Year on the Thai calendar and is celebrated in the middle of summer, during the second and third weeks of April. Songkran is traditionally a time of family reunion, goodwill and friendship. Family members return to their home towns and villages and sprinkle water on their elders as a sign of respect. However, the festival has become known more as a water festival in which participants enjoy throwing water on one another in the streets. Throughout the country, Thais and visitors alike enthusiastically celebrate Songkran.
A unique rain inducement ritual takes place in Dan Sai district in Loei province in the northeast of the country. Here, at the Phi Ta Khon Festival in May-June, the highlights are the playful goblins who tease everyone as they participate in the street procession. In Yasothon, one of the poorest and driest northeastern provinces, the rain inducement celebration comes in the form of the Rocket Festival or Bun Bangfai, in which joyous collections of dancers bring homemade rockets to the launch site. The processions and the firings of the rockets are serious and hotly - contested parts of an event involving numerous local communities. It is a popular spectacle for tourists each year. At the start of the 3-month Buddhist Lent, usually at the end of July, Ubon Ratchathani gets ready for its Candle Festival with a competition of ornately-carved wax creations in the form of large decorative candles. These are produced by local wats and are exhibited in an impressive procession around the city.
The end of Buddhist Lent is celebrated at the same time as the end of the wet season with boat races on rivers full from recent rains. One of the most spectacular events takes place at the Thailand International Swan Boat Races on the Chao Phraya River at Bang Sai in September.
Surin province is well-known for its Elephant Roundup in November in which the magnificent creatures parade in front of large crowds and take part in mock battles. The communication between animals and mahouts, their handlers, is a special spectacle that must be witnessed.
In the south of the country, Phuket attracts visitors with its Vegetarian Festival, complete with its procession of devotees praising revered deities to mark the conclusion of the 9-day vegetarian period observed traditionally by ethnic Chinese on the resort island.
The year closes with the famous and delightful night festival celebrated all over the country, the Loi Krathong Festival, on the full moon in November. At this festivity, celebrants launch floats containing flowers, candles, and incense sticks onto lakes, ponds, canals, and rivers throughout the nation. These floats make a shimmering spectacle on the country's waterway as they carry the participants' wishes for happiness and prosperity.
MUSIC FESTIVALS
Music is in the veins of the fun-loving Thai people. In modern days, music festivals are held in tourist cities, especially during the peak season. Jazz music fits perfectly with the Thai's character of spontaneity, freedom of expression, and audience participation. Thus, the Bangkok Jazz Festival has become a fixture keenly looked forward to by performers and music lovers from all over the world. The same can be said of Hua Hin Jazz Festival. Hua Hin boasts a reputation as the royal beach resort, full of traditional charm while emerging as a modern holiday des-tination for both domestic and international vacationers. It serves as a perfect venue for the jazz festival and participation grows annually. Pattaya, long recognized as an international playground, with all types of accommodation and full tourist infrastructure, hosts the Pattaya International Music Festival which attracts all types of performers from near and far in an ever-increasing number due to the town's proximity to Bangkok and its strong tourist reputation.
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SPORT EVENTS
Today, young Thai athletes are making names for themselves and their country in a wide range of international sports. Tennis is an example in which several talented young players have emerged in recent years. This has helped lead to the establishment of the ATP Thailand Open, an event that attracts many of the top tennis players from around the world.
Marathon runners set their eyes firmly on the exciting and delightful Pattaya International Marathon, an official event in the Asia Marathon Championship. The race course covers the scenic Pattaya Beach Road and is divided into 3 categories, a 42.195 km marathon for runners and wheelchair participants, a 21.1 km half-marathon, and a 10.55 km quarter-marathon.
The Phuket King's Cup Regatta, in the first week of December each year, is Asia's biggest and most popular regatta. The event was launched in 1987 to celebrate the 60th birthday of His Majesty the King by the Phuket King's Cup Regatta Organizing Committee under the auspices of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club with the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, the Royal Thai Navy, and Phuket province The week-long event is more than a regatta, marked by great parties, great sailing and great fun - a lot of sanook!
This content is provided and copyrighted by Tourism Authority of Thailand
