Samui Festivals
Chak Phra Festival
Surat Thani celebrates the official end of the annual 3-month
Buddhist Rains Retreat (Ok Phansa) in mid-October with the Chak
Phra Festival (literally 'the procession of hauling the Buddha
image). The tradition stems from the belief that the Buddha ascended
to Heaven during Phansa to preach to his mother. The festival
marks the Buddha's return to Earth, and is an occasion for religious
merit-making and general celebrations. Local people organise dazzling
land and waterborne processions of revered Buddha images (to symbolise
the Buddha's return to Earth) and boat races on the Tapi River
where long boats, manned by up to 50 oarsmen, are ebulliently
raced. Religious devotion, spectacle and merriment combine to
make Surat Thani's Chak Phra Festival a memorable annual event.
Rambutan Fair
The annual August fair celebrates the delicious fruit, first
planted in Surat Thani during 1926. Highlights include floats
adorned with rambutans and other fruits, exhibitions of local
products and ornamental plants, and demonstrations by specially
trained monkeys who harvest coconuts.
Buffalo Fighting Festival
Unlike bullfights in Spain, Samui’s bulls are not killed and
fight each other instead of a sword-wielding man. Buffalo fights
are held on special occasions such as New Year’s Day and during
Songkran in mid April. The animals are decorated with jazzy ribbons
and gold painted leaves on their horns. Holy water is used to
bless the bulls before the fights. On fight days, two rounds are
organized, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The bull
fighting stadium is located in Nathon town.
Songkran
The most frenetic festival in the country is that of Songkran,
the Lunar New Year and all-around national water fight. Held from
the 13th to 15th April each year…it’s a wet one! Traditionally
it was celebrated by Buddha images being bathed with water and
the showing of respect to monks and elders. From the sprinkling
of water onto someone’s hands it has evolved into mass drenching
for anyone who decides to venture outdoors. This has to be one
of the friendliest, though wet, festivals anywhere and a great
way to make new friends. Around Bangkok’s Khao San Road, Songkran
lasts up to 9 days! Visit this site for further information about
the Songkran Festival.
Official National Holidays
January 1 - New Year’s Day
February (full moon day) - Makka
April 6 - Chakri Day
April 13 - Songkran, Thai New Year
May 1 - Labour Day
May 5 - Coronation Day
May (full moon day) - Visakha Bucha
July (full moon day) - Asanha Bucha commemorates the first
sermon of Buddha
August 12 - Queen’s Birthday
October 23 - Chulalongkorn Day
December 5 - King’s Birthday
December 10 - Constitution Day
December 31 - New Year’s Eve
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