Thailand: Festivals & Holidays

 A list of Thai national festivals  and public holidays follows.

Of these, the most raucous Thai holiday is the  Songkran festival (Thai New Year), where water and talc is thrown in abundance on each and every passing person, and vast amounts of alcohol are consumed over consecutive days. Be ready to get wet if you intend to be in Thailand at this time of year. Do not try to stay dry: just smile and enjoy!

In the villages around Gecko Villa, you will often witness local ceremonies and traditional rites that do not feature on any calendar, but can be fascinating to attend or in which to participate. You may witness a novice monk's  initiation ceremony, where a young man makes merit and enters the monkhood for a period of time (this generally involves a colourful procession on foot with the novice held aloft and paraded through the village with much dancing); morlam or morlam sing performances - music concerts varying from small affairs on makeshift stages to major performances by larger groups with dancers; merit-making festivals at the local temples; or funerals, weddings etc. A large part is usually played by alcohol in the majority of these occasions, with rice whisky and other indigenous brews flowing freely.

 

Thailand Public Holidays 2010 

January
January 1 ( Friday) - New Year’s Day

February
15-16th February: Chinese New Year. The beginning of the Chinese lunar year is celebrated in the Chinatowns of every city. Many  businesses close but this is not an official  national holiday.

March
March 1 (Monday) - Makha Bucha Day (Substitute Day)

April
April 6 (Tuesday) - Chakri Day
April 13-16 (Tuesday-Friday) - Songkran Festival

May
May 3 (Monday) - National Labour Day (Substitute Day)
May 5 (Wednesday) - Coronation Day
May 28 (Friday) - Visakha Bucha Day

July
July 1 (Thursday) - Banks’ Mid Year Day (banks close, but not a public holiday)
July 26 (Monday) - Asahna Bucha Day

August
August 12 (Thursday) - H.M. Queen’s Birthday

October
October 25 (Monday) - Chulalongkorn Day (Rama V Day) (Substitute Day)

November
November 21st (Sunday): Loy Kratong. This is not an official public holiday, although it is widely celebrated in the evening  when Thais pay respect to the goddess of the waters by floating candlelit "Kratongs" or banana leaf boat  offerings on rivers, lakes and bodies of water.

December
December 6 (Monday) - H.M. King’s Birthday (Substitute Day)
December 10 (Friday) - Constitution Day
December 31 (Friday) - New Year’s Eve