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 2012

January
Monday, 2 January - Substitution for New Year’s Day
Tuesday, 3 January - Special New Year Extension Holiday
23rd January - 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
Wednesday, 7 March -  Makha Bucha Day

April
Friday, 6 April - Chakri Day
Friday, 13 April to Monday 16 April - Songkran (Thai New Year)

May
Tuesday, 1 May - Thailand Labor Day
Monday, 7 May - Substitution for Coronation Day

June
Monday, 4 June - Visakha Bucha Day

August
Thursday, 2 August - Asarnha Bucha Day
Monday, 13 August - Substitution for H.M. The Queen’s Birthday

October
Tuesday, 23 October - Chulalongkorn Memorial Day

November
28 November - 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
Wednesday, 5 December - H.M. The King’s Birthday
Monday, 10 December - Thai Constitution Day
Monday 31 December - New Year's Eve