Spend any time in Thailand and you\u2019ll soon realise there always seems to be something to celebrate. From nation-wide holidays, such as the famous Songkran and Loi Krathong, to lesser-known local festivals, the country has kept many of its traditional celebrations alive and invites visitors to experience them with open arms.<\/p>\n
Here are just four of Thailand\u2019s unique festivities found in different regions across the country.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
[showimage url1=”https:\/\/www.diethelmtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Website_Lopburi-Monkey-Banquet-and-Festival-02.jpg”]<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lopburi Monkey Banquet <\/strong><\/p>\n Location: Lopburi town<\/p>\n Dates: Usually the last Sunday in November<\/p>\n Located 150 kilometres north of Bangkok in Lopburi, this isn\u2019t your typical Thai food festival! Lopburi is famous for the countless monkeys that reside in the centre of town and one of the most popular activities for tourists when visiting Lopburi is feeding the creatures. Come November, the town lays out an impressive public banquet of fruits, vegetables and other treats for the monkeys to feast on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n [showimage url1=”https:\/\/www.diethelmtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Long-Boat-Racing-Thailand-03.jpg”]<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nan Traditional Boat Racing Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n Location: Nan town<\/p>\n Dates: September\/October<\/p>\n Long-boat races have taken place for centuries (even being traced back to the Ayutthaya period) to commemorate the end of the Buddhist Lent. Held during the 10th or 11th lunar months (around September\/October) when the water levels are at their peak, decorated long boats, or dragon boats, take to the waters to race while spectators gather on the riverbanks to cheer on the teams, eat, drink and be merry. In the northern Nan province, the main town (also called Nan) is one of the best places in the country to join in the activities as the Nan River snakes right through town.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n [showimage url1=”https:\/\/www.diethelmtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Candle-Festival.jpg”]<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Candle Festival<\/strong><\/p>\n Location: Ubon Ratchathani<\/p>\n Dates: July<\/p>\n Celebrated during two of Theravada Buddhism\u2019s most significant holidays \u2013 Asanha Puja commemorating the Buddha\u2019s first sermon and Khao Pansa marking the start of Buddhist Lent \u2013 Ubon Rachathani\u2019s Candle Festival is a picturesque affair. As the largest local festival of the year, locals enjoy parades featuring elaborate floats carved out of candle wax depicting scenes from the Buddha\u2019s life and Thai Buddhist art motifs, as well as other cultural performances, Muay Thai boxing matches and plenty of street food.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n [showimage url1=”https:\/\/www.diethelmtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Phuket.jpg”]<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Phuket Vegetarian Festival <\/strong><\/p>\n Location: Phuket Town<\/p>\n Dates: One week during the 9th<\/sup> lunar month (usually in October)<\/p>\n Though some version of the annual vegetarian festival is recognised throughout the country, with people choosing to eat meat-free dishes for one week, the most famous festivities happen on the island of Phuket. Based on a Chinese tale that teaches abstaining from meat will help lead to longevity, the festival is marked by Phuket\u2019s rather extreme version of celebrating. Along with not eating meat, devout believers and conduits to the gods will pierce their bodies in gruesome ways or walk over fire to honour the gods and prove that they\u2019re protected.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Spend any time in Thailand and you\u2019ll soon realise there always seems to be something to celebrate. From nation-wide holidays, such as the famous Songkran and Loi Krathong, to lesser-known local festivals, the country has kept many of its traditional celebrations alive and invites visitors to experience them with open arms. Here are just four […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":139800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1828],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCENTRAL<\/strong><\/h4>\n
NORTH<\/strong><\/h4>\n
NORTHEAST<\/strong><\/h4>\n
SOUTH <\/strong><\/h4>\n