Songkran: The Buddhist New Year

Songkran is the Buddhist New Year celebrated in Thailand in the month of April. Thais have a unique way of celebrating this festival, they spray water everywhere and on everyone!

Songkran lasts for three days during which life comes to a standstill as all the businesses, government offices, schools etc are closed and those working in other cities return to their native towns to celebrate the New Year.

Water holds great significance and is considered a purifier which washes away misfortunes and bad luck. The houses are thoroughly cleaned before Songkran. People go to temples where the images of Buddha are bathed by pouring scented water from silver bowls. After that it is water splashing time as young, old, priests, policemen, locals and foreigners are sprayed with water. You can see people armed with water guns, spray guns, hoses, bottles etc throwing water on each other. This activity continues from dawn to dusk.

Besides merry making, there is a sober side to the festival as well. Thai youngsters sprinkle water onto the hands of their elders (parents and grandparents) as a mark of reverence. The elders in turn bless them and wish them prosperity and good health. Monks are also presented with new robes.

A Miss Songkran Beauty Contest and colorful parades are also a part of the festival.

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.

Five Important Asian Festivals

Five Important Asian Festivals
Posted in Asian Festivals on 20. Jul, 2009
Asian people love festivals of different sizes and shapes, be it sports, cultural, arts, or religious centered. They are also fond of gatherings that allow them to enjoy the company of other with delightful entertainment and more. Five of the most important Asian festivals celebrated across the globe are the Songkran of Thailand, the Dragon Boat Races of Laos, the That Luang Festival of Laos, the Chinese New Year in Singapore, and the Thaipusam in Singapore and Malaysia.
The Songkran Festival in Thailand is celebrated every April. In this festival, Thais hail the New Year as referenced on their calendar. Since April is a hot season, Thais celebrate the festival with buckets of ice water and water guns out in the streets. For more enjoyment, the water guns are sometimes mixed with talcum powder.

To celebrate an end of the Lenten season of Buddhists, dragon boat races are organized in the riverside towns of Laos. Apart from the exciting races, a tiny carnival with man-made rides is

installed  as well as common platform games of skills.
Early in November, thousands of Buddhist factions converge on a spectacular festival at the That Luang Temple in Vientiane, Laos. The Buddhist factions come from different regions in the country and neighboring countries as well. The That Luang Festival feature flower processions and alms-giving rituals. A carnival is also present during the festival days.
The Chinese New Year Festival in Singapore is a three-day celebration complete with fireworks, dragon dances, and parades. It is held sometime at the last week of January or at the start of February.The Hindus celebrate the Thaipusam Festival where people give appreciation for their answered prayers by carrying “kayadis”. They attach large steel racks on their bodies and pierce their skin with spears. Using sharp hooks, fruits are dangled from the skin as the cheeks are pierced.

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

Top 3 Most Famous East Asian Festivals in April

April is a month of celebration for many in eastern Asian countries such as the Philippines, Japan, China, Thailand, and others. There are plenty of interesting and colorful festivals around this time. The top three being:

The Songkran Festival in ThailandThe Good Friday Cruxification in PhilippinesThe Water Splashing Festival in China
Thailand is a land of festivals all year round. Among the most famous festivals, Songkran is probably the most important. It marks the New Year according to the Thai traditional calendar, and it is celebrated nationwide over a period of four days with extremely lively events. The Good Friday  Crucifixion in the Philippines isn’t so different from any other Good Friday celebration around the world. It’s just the most famous in the region worth mentioning. Much of the celebration takes place in the city of San Fernando. The locals from all around the country gather to play out Christ’s agony by  displaying the whole crucifixion process. The only difference here is probably that everything is done for real, even the nailing to the crosses! The Water Splashing Festival in China is simply a fabulous spring event held in the Jinghong, Yunnan province. There is plenty of dragon boat racing, fireworks, water throwing, and dancing.