Thailand Festivals

by Pauline Go
Are you game for a little bit of sport and a spark of adventure? Are you ready to backpack and set off some place where you can relax in your own way; be it visiting temples, sightseeing, or indulging in festivals?

Well, then get ready to set off and experience the beautiful and the magical Land of Smiles, as Thailand is fondly called.

If your are in the mood for fun and frolic, then you can choose the month of April or May to visit Thailand. The Thai joyously celebrate the New Year or the Songkran festival by splaying and splashing water at each other. It is considered to be an auspicious festival and water is poured on images of Buddha. It is believed by doing so water will continue to flow even during the summers and the dry season.

In the month of May, the harvesting and the sowing festival is celebrated and marks the beginning of the rice-planting season. Such is the fervor of the festival, that to commemorate the rice-planting season, the Rocket Festival is held. Here bamboo and gunpowder are blended to make a volatile mixture. This is done to send a message to the sky to send rain during the rice seasons.

If you are a vegetarian or love vegetarian food, then September and October is the ideal month to visit Thailand. During this time, the Buddhists eat an array of vegetarian food for nine days. Another interesting festival that is held in November is the Elephant Roundup where people watch elephants playing football or participating in tug-of-war. In the month of November candle-lit floats are cast into the water to herald good fortune in the coming year. It is a beautiful sight to see thousands of candle-lit floats bobbing up and down in the water.

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