As a tourist in Thailand, one can learn about the country's rich history and culture while also participating in a vibrant celebration by visiting a festival. Annual celebrations and events in the welcoming Land of Smiles draw visitors from close and far. Thailand is home to some of the world's most beautiful beaches and palm-fringed coasts, as well as having a long history of Buddhism.
To get an idea of the country's rich cultural heritage, visitors can organize their journey around these annual events. Other than Thailand's many festivals, which provide an opportunity into the country's rich history and culture, each town and region has its own unique celebration.
10 Bo Sang Umbrella And Sankampaeng Crafts Festival In January
Bo Sang and Sankampaeng Crafts Festival are well-known across Thailand for their handicrafts and traditional umbrellas. Every year, the town holds a festival to honor its rich cultural history, which is always well-attended by many all around the globe. This festival is a yearly celebration of locally made items in January. Bo Sang has been decorated with parasols and adorned with umbrellas for this tiny event, which includes a parade of men and women dressed in traditional costumes carrying parasols.
9 Magha Puja Festival In February
In Thailand, Magha Puja is one of the most important Buddhist holidays. The festival is conducted in commemoration of Buddha's enlightenment and the meeting of thousands of his first disciples. In Thailand, Buddhists celebrate Magha Puja Day by making donations of flowers and candles to the temple and preparing meals for the monks. Most pubs are closed during the festival.
8 Chiang Mai Flower Festival In February
Do not miss the Chiang Mai Flower Festival if planning a vacation to Thailand in February, as Chiang Mai's Annual Flower Festival is a spectacular display of its nickname "Rose of the North." This festival includes parades, street markets, musical performances, and an abundance of brightly colored floral displays. The Chiang Mai Flower Festival is a wonderful family-friendly event that attracts both locals and tourists alike. Despite being one of Thailand's most well-known celebrations, the Chiang Mai Flower Festival preserves a distinct regional character and is enthusiastically embraced by the province's several districts.
7 Poy Sang Long Festival In March To April
During late March and early April in northern Thailand, a three-day celebration is celebrated to commemorate pre-teen boys who are about to enter monasteries. Family members gather for a meal before their sons are escorted to the temple to be shaved head-to-toe for the ceremony. As they march through the streets, they are accompanied by the sounds of flutes, drums, and cymbals. This is an important festival for everyone in Thailand.
6 Songkran Festival In April
Songkran is Thailand's largest and wettest holiday on Thai New Year's Day. In fact, Songkran is a national holiday in Thailand, and it is marked by public parades, folk dancing, and squirt guns. People exchange water at this time of year to wash away bad karma and wish each other good fortune in the upcoming year. This water festival is now part of the festivities, in which revelers splash each other with buckets, water balloons, and squirt guns for a good time.
5 Phuket Vegetarian Festival In September Or October
The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is held in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is usually in September or October. Chinese people that are residing in Thailand believe that refraining from meat and other stimulants will lead to a better quality of life, thus this year's festival will be dedicated to that notion. These god-invoking practices include firewalking and body piercing. Participants who assume the role of god-mediums perform self-sacrifice and these have evolved to become even more spectacular and daring. When it comes to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, it is not advisable for everyone to see, as this event includes knives and other sharp objects which are used to puncture different body parts. It is thought that the gods of China will protect them from damage, resulting in little blood and scarring on their bodies. Despite this kind of festival, it is still celebrated by people all around the world. In fact, many tourists go there to see this kind of unique culture and festival here in Thailand.
4 Lotus Throwing Festival In October
Lotus flowers are found all around Thailand, particularly in temples where they are revered for their association with celestial deities. This makes them possibly the most important flower to Thai people. As a result, at the end of the rainy season, the Lotus Receiving Festival, which takes place in Samut Prakan, next to Bangkok, honors the lotus. In this event, they throw flowers at tourists as a manner of welcoming them into the local merit-making event that is taking place at the same time. It may appear to be a religious ritual, but at its core, the festival is a celebration of Thai culture, with the crowds joking and laughing as they have bundles of flowers.
3 Yi Peng Lantern Festival In November
Celebration of the Lanna culture Northern Thailand is where Yi Peng Lantern Festival takes place. This celebration is marked by the release of paper lanterns into the sky. As a result, it's also known as the Festival of Lights, or the Festival of Lanterns. When the lantern is released, it signifies a new year's hope for a brighter year to come. In fact, making a wish while releasing the light is said to bring requests to fruition in the Buddhist tradition. All of the lanterns are ignited at the same time. At night, seeing thousands of lanterns climbing into the sky at varying speeds and levels of brightness is very breathtaking. Because of this, Yi Peng is often said to be the most fascinating Thai celebration.
2 Loy Krathong Festival In November
On Thailand's rivers, lakes, and canals, hundreds of banana leaf boats carry offerings of flowers, incense, and candles. Flowers, banana leaves, candles, and incense sticks adorn the traditional Thai floating raft known as the Krathong. Many other factors contribute to the Thais' practice of sending their festively painted boats down the river. As a way of honoring the Water Goddess and asking her forgiveness for any sins or contamination of her holy resource, the festival is held twice a year. The third purpose is to bid farewell to misfortune and send best wishes for a prosperous new year.
1 Christmas Star Festival In December
Thailand's Sakon Nakhon Christmas Star Festival has been a long-standing favorite among tourists, as it features a wide variety of things such as street markets, theatrical entertainments, and star-decorated parades. At this festival, there are showcases of different colors and sizes of star parols that make the whole venue bright and colorful. In fact, in this celebration, they do not just put star parols on the streets, but they also host star-studded car processions. These are perfect for tourists that want to be able to see and take photos of all the festively-decorated automobiles of the festival.