The Chiang Mai Flower Festival, Thailand

Get drowned in the intoxicating scents and exotic sights of flowers this February at the Chiang Mai Flower Festival in Thailand.

Chiang Mai is a town in the North of Thailand and is popularly known as the Rose of the North because of the wide variety of exotic flowers found here. The cool temperate climate of the place is ideal for the growth of flowers such as tulips, chrysanthemum, carnations which were originally imported from abroad besides the locally grown rose, and wide variety of orchids. Here you will find 3000 species of orchid, the damask rose, a special variety of rose and yellow and white chrysanthemums besides a host of other species of flowers. Flowers are in full bloom in February which sees an end of the winter season.

The three day festival begins with a beauty pageant where Miss Flower Bloom and Miss International Flower Bloom are chosen.

The main feature of the festival is the floral parade which takes place on the second day. Beautifully decorated floral floats most of them based on Buddhist themes with dancing Thai girls clad in traditional clothes are the highlights of the parade. As the floats pass at a snail’s pace; you will get plenty of time to photograph the marvel of nature (flowers) displayed by human intelligence.

On the third day winners of the best flowers in the show are chosen. You can also buy rare species of flowering plants at reasonable rates. You can savor Thai Cuisine at the various food stalls and buy handicrafts made by the locals.

Surin Festival Thailand

Thailand a land rich in culture, colors and exotic festivals has some amazing ideas about celebrations. The Thais show there reverence to everything which is useful to them. In Central Thailand, they thank the monkeys in the Lopburi region by throwing a lavish feast for them. In the northeast province of Surin, the elephants are honored annually in the Surin Elephant Roundup.

This festival commenced in 1960 and has been celebrated every year on the third weekend of November. The people of Surin are quite famous for their knack of capturing and taming elephants. Throughout the province these gentle beasts can be seen working side by side with the humans.

In this unique festival watched by thousands of locals and foreign tourists the elephants display their skills and strength. There are soccer matches, elephant races, a tug of war between the elephants and 70 best muscled men of the Royal Thai Army and other activities showing the intelligence, agility and grace of this wonderful animal. The highlight of the festival is the mock battle scene of yesteryears re-enacted for public enjoyment.

The Surin Elephant Round up is much more than a fascinating public display of the elephant’s capabilities; it is a unique and a beautiful bond shared by a man and a beast.

Lopburi Monkey Festival Thailand

Thailand formerly known as Siam is a home to some amazing festivals. The country respects not only its citizens but also the animals living there. Lopburi in Central Thailand is one such place where a grand banquet is thrown on the last weekend of November for their famous citizens “the monkeys”.

It is a common belief among the locals that monkeys which roam around freely in Lopburi bring fortune and prosperity to the town besides protecting it. Monkeys are also a major tourist attraction in this otherwise sleepy town. They can be seen everywhere; wandering about in the town, swinging from trees, the temple of San Phra Kan is where they hang around the most. To express their gratitude, the people of Lopburi arrange a huge feast which they share with the monkeys.

The banquet tables are laden with sumptuous monkey favorite meals. Eggs, cucumbers, sausages, vegetables, ice cream and a wide variety of fruits are served to the primates. The honorable guests are offered sodas to wash down the lavish meal. People also eat along with them; the monkeys do not mind the company but they do get angry if you take a helping of their favorite food.

Not only the locals donate food for the festival, top chefs also prepare meals to tantalize the primates’ taste buds.