New Year's Day

New Year's Day is the first day of the New Year. In the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1st as it was also in ancient Rome. The arrival of New Years Day is often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the New Year starts. On Samui the beach at Chaweng becomes a major showcase as each resort and bar competes with each other to put on the best firework display.

Thailand National Children's Day

Thailand National Children’s Day (Thai: วันเด็กแห่งชาติ) is celebrated on the second Saturday in January. Many organizations from both government and the commercial sector hold celebration activities for children. Children can also enter zoos or use buses for free.
In tradition, Thailand’s Prime Minister gives Children’s Day a unique motto for every year.
On Children’s Day government house is also open for children, children can pretend to be the Prime Minister and sit in his chair and see inside parliament. There’s also a military show where children can see equipment, vehicles and aircraft.

Chinese's New Year Day

Chinese's New Year Day
The sounds of firecrackers can be heard exploding all over the place and happy children with 'Ang Pao' (red envelopes containing money) and processions of dragon dancers make their way along the roads of Chinatowns around the world. They represent the coming of the Chinese New Year, the most important day on the Chinese calendar.

The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year, and it falls on the first day of the first month based on the Chinese style lunar calendar. Some people call it ‘The Spring Festival’ because it is the beginning of spring.

Two days before New Year Chinese people go to the market to buy food and other offerings. It is also the last day for Chinese shops and stalls to open. All the shops will be closed until after the New Year.

On the last day of the year Chinese pray and prepare offerings to the gods and to their ancestors. There are three different kinds of prayers that must be performed, including prayers for the Gods of the Land in the morning, prayers for the ancestors at noon and prayers for the wandering souls with no relatives in the afternoon. These prayers show respect to the gods and ancestors. It is believe that these prayers will bring merit and blessings. After each prayer, the Chinese burn golden paper, believing that the paper will become money in the after life.

On New Years day there are more prayers, this time for the gods of luck and good fortune. This prayer is usually held in the early morning and you need to look at the ‘Lear Yik Tao’ (the collective book of Chinese culture and tradition) to know the best time to pray. After this prayer, some families perform another prayer for their ancestors.

New Year’s Day is the most festive day of all the three days. People go to their relatives’ houses to give and receive blessings. They exchange oranges and give away ‘Ang Pao’ to the younger children. Chinese believe that doing this will bring them good luck in the New Year.

During the celebrations, there are also lion dance performances, believed to ward off demons. People also refrain from fighting or being mean to each other during this time because it would bring them bad luck throughout the year.

On Samui there are parades in many places near to Chinese temples including those in Nathon, Hua Thanon, Lamai and Maenam

Magha Puja Day

Magha Puja Day is one of the most important Buddhist celebrations and it falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month (about last week of February or early of March).
This day marks the great four events that took place during Lord Buddha’s lifetime, namely

 1250 Buddhist monks from different places came to pay homage to Lord Buddha at Valuwan Vihara in Rajgaha, the capital of Magaha State, each of his own initiative and without prior notification or appointment.

 all of them were the enlightened monks (or Arahantas)

 all of them had been individually ordained by Lord Buddha himself (Ehi Bhikkhu)

 They assembled on the full moon day of the third lunar month.

On the evening of that day, Lord Buddha gave the assembly a discourse "Ovadha Patimokha" laying down the principles of His Teachings summarised into three acts, i.e. to do good, to abstain from bad action and to purify the mind.

It was unclear as to when the Magha Puja Ceremony took place. However, in a guide book of ceremonies for the twelve months written by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), it is said that, “In the past, the Magha Puja was never performed; the ceremony has just been practised during the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV)”

Having realized the significance of this day, King Rama IV ordered the royal Magha Puja Ceremony to be performed in the Emerald Buddha Temple in 1851 and to be continued forever. Later the ceremony was widely accepted and performed throughout the kingdom.

The day is declared as a public holiday so that people from all walks of life can go to the temple to make merit and perform other religious activities in the morning and to take part in the candlelit procession or "Wien Tien" in Thai in the evening.

At this auspicious time, His Majesty the King will preside over the religious rites to mark the occasion at the Emerald Buddha Temple and will later lead hundreds of people in a candlelit procession held within the temple’s compound.

In fact, the candlelit procession can be held at any time convenient to the public, either in the morning or in the evening. However, in Bangkok it will usually take place in the evening at about 8.00 p.m. and the procession will be led by Buddhist monks.

In general, most Buddhists are not aware of the Significance of this day. As a result, a number of people taking part in the ceremony may be less than on other days such as Visakha Puja or Asanha Puja Days. Even so Magha Puja Day carries an equal meaning to all Buddhists

Songkran Festival

Songkran Festival
Songkran is the Thai traditional New Year Festival which starts on 13th April every year and lasts for three days. Songkran festival on April 13th is known as Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14th is Wan Nao, which is the day after, and April 15th is Wan Thaloeng Sok which is when the New Year begins.

During Songkran people who are working away from their home villages will usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the time comes, places tend to see a change over of people leaving to go home and those returning home.

The aim is to provide the opportunity for people to create unity in the community such as to jointly acquire merits, to meet each other and to enjoy the entertaining events. And for the society it is to create concern for the environment with cooperation such as to clean houses, temples, public places and official buildings. Thais value the religion by means of merits acquisition, offerings alms to monks, Dhamma Practice, listening to sermon and monks-bathing.

Songkran is a Thai word which means "move" or "change place" as it is the day when the sun changes its position in the zodiac. It is also known as the “Water Festival” as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.

The Songkran tradition is recognized as a valuable custom for the Thai community, society and religion. The value for family is to provide the opportunity for family members to gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to dedicate the result to their ancestors. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.

In the afternoon, after performing a bathing rite for Buddha images and the monks, the celebrants both young and old, joyfully splash water on each other. The most-talked about celebration takes place in the northern province of Chiang Mai where Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to 15. During this period, people from all parts of the country flock there to enjoy the water festival, to watch the Miss Songkran Contest and the beautiful parades.

In Bangkok, the Buddha image "Buddhasihing" is brought out from the National Museum for people to sprinkle lustral water at Sanam Luang, opposite the Grand Palace.

The festival has evolved in recent times and on Samui people line the length of the ring road armed with water pistols, hoses and buckets. Others fill pick-ups and slowly make their way around the island getting soaked by everyone and themselves soaking as many people as possible. It’s a fun and enjoyable time, if you don’t mind joining in and getting wet

Wisakha Puja Day

Wisakha Puja Day is a very important day in the Buddhist tradition, for it was on this day that Prince Siddhattha Gotama was born. Some 35 years later he became the Buddha, and in another 45 years he passed away into total Nibbana (Parinibbana). In each case, these events took place on the full-moon day in the Wisakha month (usually in May).

Wisakha Puja Day is a great Buddhist holiday. It falls on the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 6th lunar month, i.e. full moon day.

In Thailand, Wisakha Puja is celebrated throughout the country. People put up religious flags outside their houses; they take part in ceremonies at temples and they make merit; and they bring flowers, candles, and incense to pay respect to the Triple Gem, i.e. Buddha (the Great Teacher), the Dhamma (the Truth) and the Sangha (the community of followers).

In the evening, people take part in candle-lit processions and walk around the main chapel of the temple three times. In the procession, each person carries flowers, three incense sticks and a lighted candle.

There is another way of making merit. It is Bhavana or development of the mind. (In English Bhavana is usually translated as meditation). Mental development means working from a base of morality (Sila), together with the development of concentration (Samadhi) and mindfulness (Sati). It was this kind of practice that enabled him to become a self-awakened Buddha. It enabled many of his noble disciples to become Arahantas as well.

Ploughing Ceremony

Ploughing Ceremony
The Ploughing Ceremony, which is observed every year, is an age old tradition dating back to the Sukhothai Period. It was observed in the Ayuttaya Period and passed on to the Rattanakosin Period.

The Ploughing Ceremony is held at Sanam Luang in Bangkok during May. It signals the start of the planting season in this country where the majority of the population are farmers. The ceremony is aimed at providing morale and making predictions about the year’s crops.

In the reign of King Rama IV, the Ploughing Ceremony was held in the ancient capital of Ayuttaya as well as in Phetchaburi. Later, it was held on a field, called Som Poy, in the outskirts of Bangkok, and it was at this time Buddhist elements were added to the previously Brahmin-dominated proceedings that took place at the temple of the Emerald Buddha on the eve of the ceremony.

The Buddhist part of the ceremony involved the processing of Khantarat Buddha images of the past reigns, along with citations blessing grains such as rice, glutinous rice and sorghum, sesame seeds, taro, potato, gourd seeds, melons and sweet basil.

A ceremonial pavilion was built at Sanam Luang for the occasion, which was participated by the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony (Phra Raek Na) assisted by four Celestial Maidens (Thepi) carrying gold and silver baskets full of grains. Before the start of the ceremony, the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony and the four maidens were anointed on the foreheads and in the palms, and given a conch and bel leaves.

Selected from among high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Phya Raek Na wore a ceremonial ring with nine different gemstones which the King had given him.

The ceremony in the reign of King Rama IV was performed in grand style, with a processing of 500 people led by the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony in resplendent attire and carrying his ceremonial sword. Before the start of the ceremony, the Lord of Ploughing Ceremony was offered three pieces of loincloth from which he chose one. The cloths were of different lengths, four, five and six kheub (one kheub is about six inches) and the length of the cloth that he chose determined the amount of rain for that year. The shortest piece indicated a year with plenty of water, the longest one foretold of little rain, and the medium-sized one was indicative of a balanced supply of water, abundant rice and healthy crops.

With the plough and a goat he received from the Brahmin priest presiding over the ceremony, the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony ploughed three ceremonial furrows in an oval shape, then scattered the grains from the baskets carried by the Celestial Maidens, amidst the blowing of conches by five Brahmin priests. As he ploughed, a man in front sprinkled lustral water on the earth before him.

After the seeds had been scattered, the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony again ploughed the earth over the seeds for three more rounds.

Following the ceremonial ploughing, the sacred bulls were unleashed and presented with platters containing seven feeds, namely rice, corn, beans, sesame seeds, alcohol, water and glass. The bulls’ choices would predict the agricultural produce for that year.

According to predictions by Brahmin astrologers, a choice of rice or corn would mean abundance of grains and plentiful fish; beans or sesame meant plentiful fish and meat; water or grass indicated plentiful rain, food, meat and agricultural crops; and alcohol foretold a more efficient transportation system, good trade relations with other countries, and prosperous economy.

The Ploughing Ceremony was observed in its entirety until 1936, when there was a change in the political structure of the country. It was revived in 1960 by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, as an annual ceremony to boost the farmers’ morale. The role of the Lord of the Ploughing Ceremony was assumed by the Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, and the four Celestial Maidens were civil servants from the same ministry.

Each year, the 40 kilograms of the rice grains and the 40 other grain species used in the ceremony are supplied by His Majesty the King’s experimental plot in the Chitrlada compound. What is not used in the ceremony is distributed to farmers throughout the country.

Since 1986, the day on which the Ploughing Ceremony takes place has also been declared Agriculture Day, with activities ranging from a grain contest to agricultural exhibitions at Sanam Luang

Asalha Puja Day

Asaha Puja Day
There are two Buddhist holy days in July, Asaha Puja Day or Sangha Day and the beginning of Buddhist Lent, Wan Khao Punsa. They are official holidays in Thailand and many people go to temples for special ceremonies.

"Asaha" means the eighth lunar month and Asaha Puja means the ceremony in the eighth lunar month. On the full moon day of the eighth lunar month, the Lord Buddha gave his first sermon and one of his followers became the first Buddhist monk. The followers of the Buddha are together called the Sangha, and that is why Asaha Puja is called "Sangha Day".

During his first sermon, the Buddha talked about "The Middle Way", which means that we should try hard enough, but not too hard. If we wish to be successful in Spiritual life, we should avoid the two extremes: Trying too hard, such as not eating or not sleeping enough; and Not trying hard enough, such as eating and sleeping too much.

He also spoke about the Noble Eightfold Path. This path tells us to live in a way that does not harm ourselves or others; to help ourselves and others; and to purify the mind. He said, “Do good: Avoid evil: And purify the mind”.

He gave eight guidelines to help us to live in this way and together they are called the Noble Eightfold Path. He advised people to speak and act and earn their living in good ways. He also advised them to practise meditation to purify their minds. Then they can get deep wisdom (Panya).

When people go to the temples on Asaha Puja Day and when they ordain as monks, novices or nuns, they try to live by the Noble Eightfold Path

Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent)

Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent)
As the seasonal monsoon rains descend over the kingdom, it marks the beginning of the Buddhist "rain retreat" and the Buddhist Lent, or "Phansa", during which all Buddhist monks retreat to the temples. This is also an auspicious time for Buddhist ordinations as it marks a period of spiritual renewal.

Known as "Khao Phansa", the Buddhist Lent is a time devoted to study and meditation. Buddhist monks remain within the temple grounds and do not venture out for a period of three months, starting from the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month (in July) to the fifteenth day of the waxing moon of the eleventh lunar month (in October). In former times, this was done to prevent monks from trampling upon rice paddies when they venture out to receive offerings from the villagers.

Buddhism, Buddhist traditions and beliefs are central forces which shape the local way of life and give rise to various festivals of religious origin which have been observed for generations. For example, the majority of the Buddhist ordinations take place during the Buddhist Lent when young novices enter the monk hood. Villagers also actively engage in merit-making during this period. Offerings consisting of an assortment of savoury dishes and sweets as well as items for daily use are offered to monks. Items that provide light such as candles, lanterns and lamp oil are deemed to be particularly important offerings as it is believed that they provide monks with illumination physically and spiritually.

Many of these traditions have evolved into full-scale festivals featured in the Buddhist calendar and the kingdom's official calendar of festivals and events such as "The Candle Festival" of Ubon Ratchathani province, which features a procession of ornately-carved beeswax candles of various shapes and sizes, and the "Tak Bat Dok Mai" floral offering merit-making ritual that is unique to Saraburi province

Queen's Birthday

Mother's Day

On the Mother’s Day, children show respect to mothers and grandmothers by giving them a jasmine garland and doing a krab to their feet. Every child and adult in Thailand will do like this to their mother or other women they respect.

The Queen's Birthday

Her Majesty Queen Sirikit was born on Friday 12th August 1932, as the eldest daughter of His Highness Prince Chandaburi Suranath and Mon Lung Bua Kitiyakara. Her Majesty was born with the royal title of Mon Rajawongse and Her name "Sirikit", which means "Glory to the Kitiyakara Family" was Given by His Majesty Fing Prajadhipok (Rama VII ). Mon Rajawongse Sirikit began her studies at Rajini School, or the Queen’s School, and during World War II she transferred to St. Francis Xavier Convent School in Bangkok.

At the end of the Second World War, her father was appointed the Thai minister to France and Denmark and full Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She thus accompanied him and continued her education in Europe and it was there where she met His Majesty King Bhumibol.

Their Majesties became engaged on 19th July 1949 and in March of the following year, His Majesty, accompanied by the Royal Family and Mom Rajawongse Sirikit and her family; returned to Thailand for the Cremation Ceremony of His majesty King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VII).

The Royal wedding took place at 9.30 a.m. on Friday 28th April 1950 at Sra Pathum Palace. On 5th May the same year there followed the Coronation of His Majesty King Bhumibol.

Their majesties have four children, namely:
1. H.R.H. Princess Ubol Ratana, born on the 5th April 1951, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
2. H.R.H. Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkron, born on the 28th July 1952 in Bangkok.
3. H.R.H. Princess Maha Chakir Sirindron, born on the 2nd April 1955 in Bangkok.
4. H.R.H. Princess Chulabhorn, born on the 4th July 1957 in Bangkok.

In 1956, when His Majesty King Bhumibol entered the monk hood for two weeks, Her Majesty was appointed as his Regent. And, during that period, Her Majesty performed her duties so successfully that, on the recommendation of the government, Her Majesty was given a royal title of higher distinction: "Somdejphra Borom Rajininath".

Apart from being a loyal wife and mother, Her Majesty the Queen also dedicates her tireless efforts for the betterment of the Thai people and the entire nation. The Queen spends much time travelling to rural areas to find sources of supplementary income in the off-season, or in areas affected by droughts or floods.

In order to help poor people in rural areas make both ends meet, The Foundation for the Promotion of Supplementary Occupations and Related Techniques (SUPPORT) was established on 21st July 1976 under Her Majesty’s patronage. The foundation has achieved remarkable success, today thousands of rural folk and their families are benefiting from Her Majesty's countless efforts and initiatives.

As a tribute to Her Majesty's boundless contributions for the happiness of the entire population and the prosperity of the nation as a whole, August 12th is now a public holiday. We join all loyal and devoted subjects of the kingdom in wishing Her Majesty the Queen a long life of good health and happiness.

Loy Krathong Day

Loy Krathong Day is one of the most popular festivals in Thailand and it is celebrated annually on the Full-Moon Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month. It takes place at a time when the weather is fine, as the rainy season is over and there is a high water level all over the country.

"Loy" means "to float" and a "Krathong" is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Krathong usually contains a candle, three joss-sticks, some flowers and coins.

In fact, the festival is of Brahmin origin in which people offer thanks to the Goddess of the water. Thus, by moonlight, people light the candles and joss-sticks, make a wish and launch their Krathongs on canals, rivers or even small ponds. It is believed that the Krathongs carry away sins and bad luck, and the wishes that have been made for the new year due to start. Indeed, it is the time to be joyful and happy as the sufferings are floated away.

The festival starts in the evening when there is a full moon in the sky. People of all walks of life carry their Krathongs to the nearby rivers. After lighting candles and joss-sticks and making a wish, they gently place the Krathongs on the water and let them drift away till they go out of sight.

A Beauty Queen Contest is an important part of the festival and on this occasion
it is called "The Noppamas Queen Contest". Noppamas is a legendary figure from the Sukhothai period. Old documents refer to her as the chief royal consort of a Sukhothai King named "Lithai". Noppamas was said to have made the first decorated Krathong to float in the river on the occasion.

In Bangkok, major establishments such as leading hotels and amusement parks organise their Loy Krathong Festival and the Krathong contest as a major annual function. For visitors to Thailand, the Loy Krathong Festival is an occasion not to be missed and it is listed on all tourist calendars. Everyone is invited to take part and share the joy and happiness.

On Samui the lake in Chaweng, and near Big Buddha tend to attract many visitors to launch their Krathongs

King's Birthday

King's Birthday
His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great was born on December 5th 1927 to Prince Mahidol of Songkhla and Mom Sangwan. His Majesty is the ninth King of the Chakri Dynasty and the longest-reigning monarch in the history of Thailand.

His Majesty the King is well recognised as the heart and soul of the Thai nation. He is held in the highest esteem, not only by his own subjects, but His Majesty also commands enormous respect from people in all parts of the world.

Everywhere he goes, people turn up to greet him in hundreds of thousands. The manner in which His Majesty conducts himself, giving his whole heart and attention to the people, immediately linked the living symbol of the nation to the people in a bond of mutual understanding and personal affection.

The main concern of His Majesty is for the uplifting of the general well-being of the people. Evidence of this can be drawn from His Majesty the King’s ceaseless efforts to visit his subjects in the rural areas. The aim of his Majesty’s visits is to learn at first hand about the needs of his subjects.

To obtain such information, His Majesty has to travel many thousands of kilometres throughout the kingdom and, whenever possible, suggests ways to overcome the difficulties. These visits have led to the establishment of over 1,000 Royal and Royally-initiated projects. They are implemented by the relevant agencies of the government after advice and assistance by His Majesty.

His Majesty is the first member of the Royal Family to be granted a patent for an invention. The registered patent is for one of His Majesty's "Chai Pattana Machines", the Chai Pattana Aerator Model RX 2. The patent rights call it an "apparatus for water treatment", which is used for agricultural and industrial purposes and can be seen operating in many polluted waterways.

Buddhism is the national religion of Thailand and His Majesty constantly shows himself to be a convinced and dedicated disciple of the Lord Buddha. To follow the tradition of young Buddhist men to go into the monastery for a period of time, His Majesty entered the Buddhist monk hood at Wat Bovornnives on 22nd October 1956. The Constitution of Thailand, however, does not prescribe the King to be only the Defender of the Buddhist Faith, but also to be the upholder of all Religions. He gives equal attention to the protection of all forms of worship and also to the problems of other religious communities in Thailand.

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej the Great came to the throne on 9th June 1946. The meaning of his name is "Strength of the Land, incomparable Power". Since that date he has reigned over the Kingdom of Thailand as a constitutional monarch. At the Coronation Ceremony on May 5th 1950, His Majesty the King pronounced the traditional Oath of Accession which stated: "We will reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people". His Majesty’s actions since then have thoroughly reflected those words and have always been directed towards increasing the welfare and prosperity of the Thai nation.

On his birthday, which is observed as a National Holiday, all his subjects rejoice in demonstrating once more their affection and loyalty to him. Religious rites are held, houses and buildings are decorated with flags, lights and his portraits. The whole nation prays to the Holy Triple Gem and all the sacred things in the universe to bless His Majesty with good health and happiness and the strength to carry on his onerous task