Canadian World Traveller Spring 2023 Issue

Sdok Kok Thom Festival, Sa Kaeo
This festival highlights the renowned
historical Sdok Kok Thom Khmer castle.
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Kram & Craft Sakon Festival, Sakhon Nakhon
A festival in celebration of the local community’s
cultural creativity, involving the use of natural
plants to dye fabric.
16 Distinctive Thai Festivals
to be Promoted Internationally
Phuket Food (Creative City of Gastronomy)
Festival, Phuket
A fantastic occasion for food lovers, with plenty
of food – both local and international – to
be enjoyed.
Bun Ban Klang Festival, Chon Buri
This outdoor merit-making ritual in Phanat
Nikhom District involves locals putting food
onto banana leaves cut into squares, to ward
off bad luck. The event is on from March-June
2023.
The Ministry of Culture has identified 16
distinctive festivals from around
Thailand to be promoted on the international
stage in line with the government’s
Bio-Circular-Green economic model and the
promotion of Thailand’s 5F soft-power foundations
– Food, Film, Festival, Fight and
Fashion.
The 16 festivals are distinctive to their location,
and are examples of the many unique
and fascinating festivals that take place
throughout Thailand each year, including
world-famous celebrations like Songkran (the
traditional Thai New Year) and Loi Krathong.
The promotion of these 16 festivals is to further
highlight the kingdom’s cultural traditions
and help generate more revenue for local
communities, in line with Thai tourism’s new
direction towards more sustainable and
responsible tourism.
The 16 festivals are:
Chao Mae Lim Ko Niao Festival, Pattani
A colourful homecoming festival for Chinese
descendants of Pattani province. This year, the
event took place on 2-8 February.
Ban Chiang World Heritage Festival, Udon
Thani
A celebration of the historical significance of
the World Heritage Site-listed Ban Chiang
area, considered the most important prehistoric
settlement so far discovered in Southeast
Asia. This year, the event took place on 10-12
February.
Hok Peng Festival to Worship Phra That
Chao Phu Phiang Chae Haeng, Nan
A worship ritual at Wat Phra That Chae
Haeng, Phra Aram Luang, in Phu Phiang district.
This year, the event is taking place from
28 February to 6 March.
Hae Malai Khao Tok Festival, Yasothon
A cultural celebration in which thousands of
hand-made garlands connecting popped rice
together are displayed on floats. This year, the
event takes place from 1-5 March at the
event’s grounds in front of Mahachanachai
District Office.
Hae Pha Khuen That Festival, Nakhon Si
Thammarat
This celebration sees the wrapping of a long
piece of sacred yellow cloth around the base
of a stupa at Wat Phra Mahathat
Woramahawihan. This year, the event takes
place from 5-6 March.
Korat Street Art, Nakhon Ratchasima
A lively and colourful showcase celebrating
creative works by regional artists.
Vesak Day Festival, Mae Hong Son
Known locally as Nataya Heng-sattha
Gingala Nom Bucha Visakhaburamee, the
event is a traditional merit-making ceremony
held on Vesak Day, a sacred day to Buddhists
and some Hindus.
Tak Baht Dok Mai Khao Phansa (Festival of
Floral Offerings), Saraburi
A traditional merit-making ceremony involving
the giving to monks of white Khao-Phansa
flowers, also known as Dok Hong Hern (flying
swan flower), held annually on Khao Phansa
or Buddhist Lent Day.
Phaya Sri Satta Nakarata Worship
Ceremony, Nakhon Phanom
A religious ceremony for the Naga believed to
live in the Mekong River at Phaya Si
Sattanakarat multipurpose yard, enshrined on
the banks of the Mekong River. The event is on
in July 2023.
Hom Heet Toi Hoy Roi Jai Tai Lue (Tai Lue
Local Festival), Phayao
This event honours the Tai Lue ethnic community,
and their distinctive traditions. Taking
place at Wat Phrathat Sob Waen: Temple of
the Tai Lue Culture, Chiang Kham Town,
Yuan, Chiang Kham District, Phayao. The
event is on from 15-16 July 2023.
Phetchaburi City of Gastronomy Festival,
Phetchaburi
Another great event for food lovers, where
they can enjoy fantastic local cuisine.
Khom San Duang Festival, Lamphun
Literally translated as a festival of a hundred
thousand lanterns, this is a picturesque celebration
that sees numerous floating lanterns
let go into the sky during the annual Loi
Krathong Festival at Wat Phra That
Haripunchai Woramahawihan.
www.tourismthailand.org
World Traveler Spring 2023