The Songkran Water Festival

Thailand is known as the land of festival where there’re countless festival and special events held throughout the year. Of which, the Songkran Water Festival is considered as  the most memorable experience  and important event in Thailand when visitors can witness the entire country joining in friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. 

The Songkran Water Festival

This is the famous water festival to welcome the Thai New Year (13-15 April) and also my favorite one of the year. It is celebrated all over the country and can vary from one day, on the 13^th of April (in Phuket) to a whole week in the north in Chiang Mai. It is great fun and a festival not to be missed! 

Another festival which is equally important for the Thais is the Loy Krathong Festival which falls this year on the 4^th of November 2017. Loy Krathong as known the Festival of Lights or Lantern Festival as is one of the oldest Thai holidays and varies from year to year. It represents the covenant between the Thai culture and the water.

For families, they usually spend time to make their own Krathong (raft/float) to send it off in the evening of the full moon on the water and let it ‘loy’ (float). While the float gets away on the water, it takes away all the bad spirits and it also showed the respect of local people to the ‘goddess of water’ for the plenty of rainfall of the last few months.

Loy Krathong Festival

Phuket Vegetarian Festival which falls on the 9^th lunar month held this year from 20 to 28 October 2017. It celebrates the Chinese community's belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month will help them obtain good health and peace of mind.

This festival is great to combine with a holiday in Thailand as there are many activities to witness during this week in Phuket Town. One of the most exciting aspects of the festival is the various and sometimes gruesome ceremony which are held to invoke the gods. It is believed that the Chinese gods will protect such persons from harm, and little blood or scarring results from such mutilation acts. This is not recommended for the faint hearted to witness.

For further information about experience and destinations in Thailand, please contact our Thailand expert Andre Van Der Marck or see more in our experience page.