The Thais have many events and festivals but the main events are Chinese New Year, Songkran – Traditional Thai New Year, Coronation Day, the King’s and Queen’s birthday, Royal Ploughing Ceremony and Loy Krathong.
Chinese New Year is just like the normal Chinese New Year that the Chinese celebrated worldwide. The Chinese wear new clothes and visit temples to pray. They clean their houses and buy food to celebrate the event, gathering on New Year’s Eve to have a reunion dinner.
The Songkran is The Thai’s New Year and is celebrated on every 13th to 15th April. It is similar to the Chinese New Year, where they clean their houses and return back to their families to spend time with them. Songkran is also known as the Water Festival as one of the customs is to drench people in water. It is a tradition of pouring scented waters over the hands of the elders as a mark of respect. People also bring food to the monks at temples and free animals during this period of time as an act of kindness.
Coronation day is an event to celebrate the coronation of their king – His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950. The birthdays of the King and Queen whom are loved and respected by their people are also celebrated.
Royal Ploughing Ceremony is a ceremony that marks the start of planting season at the start of a rainy period when rice is sown. It is a ceremony that is greatly influenced by Buddhism in Thailand. This ceremony involves the blessing of rice grains from the Temple of the Emerald Buddha where the priests oversee the ploughing.
Loy Krathong is a festival that takes place on the evening of the full moon in November. The Thais would lit candles, incense with flowers and money and cast them into the water, letting them float away after they had made their wish.
Loy Kratong Festival
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