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In Thailand food plays a massive role in social occasions, in fact, dining alone in Thailand is actually considered bad luck. Thai food varies greatly across the different areas of Thailand, but each region has one thing in common, it creates dishes that are delicious, easily replicated and enjoyed worldwide. The main thing that makes Thai food stand out among other cuisines is the flavour, Thai food contains a stunning contrast of flavours, with depth to each dish. Celebrating this passion for food, Thailand hosts a range of festivals and special occasions each year, in addition to celebratory festivals it hosts to celebrate religion, and honour royalty, family and teachers. These festivals and special occasions are not only magical events, but they are also a fantastic boost for the tourist industry.
Songkran (The Water Festival)
Celebrated to mark the beginning of the Buddhist New Year, Sonkran (which is also called the Water Festival) is the wettest and largest festival in Thailand. Hosted every year and lasting for three days from 13th April to the 15th April, which is the hottest month in Thailand, the water festival is a fantastic way to cool down. This festival is all about fresh starts and purification and it is celebrated with parades, folk performances, dancing, food and of course, water fights. People sprinkle water on one another, carrying things like water balloons, squirt guns and buckets to splash each other, with the intention of washing away bad thoughts and actions and wishing them good luck for the year ahead. During this festival people enjoy a wide range of traditional and refreshing meals, such as: Mango Sticky Rice, Prawn Pad Thai, Khao Chae, and Pad Kee Mao Talay, washed down with a delicious Thai Margarita.
Chinese New Year (The Spring Festival)
In Thailand, up to 14% of the population is Chinese, which means Thailand celebrates the Chinese New Year extravagantly. In Chinatown, alleyways are packed with dragons, firecrackers, and dancing lions, and lots of red and gold colours that are stunning visually. Even though Chinese New Year is not a recognised holiday in Thailand, people generally get a day off work to celebrate this holiday, which generally falls in January or February, although the exact ate changes each year. During this festival, children are given red envelopes by parents, which contains money, and families get together to celebrate. Shops decorate their windows with Chinese calligraphy, lanterns, red paper and banners, and the streets are lined with dragon parades, firecrackers and acrobatics. Food feasted on in Thailand during Chinese New Year include cuisine that is similar to Chinese food, such as steamed duck or chicken, rice cakes, and mandarins for good fortune.
Loy Krathong (The Festival of Lights)
A picturesque festival held in Bagkok, on the night of the 12th lunar month (usually November) and at the end of the rainy season. People gather around rivers, lakes, canals and other bodies of water to release lotus-shaped rafts decorated with candles, flowers and incense into the water to celebrate the Water Goddess and thank her for her abundant supply. It symbolises allowing all your grudges and anger floating away and if the candle you send stays lit until the Krathong you released disappears, it is said to represent good luck for the year ahead. Similarly, people in other areas such as Bangkok, also release paper lanterns. Food that is perfect for this festival include: Pak Krob (Vegetable Fritters), Gaeng Juet Gai Sab (Minced Chicken Soup with chives & roasted garlic), Katong Tong Pak (Vegetable Tartlets) and Satay Gai (Chicken Satay with peanut sauce), among other delicacies.
Taste The Tinge of Flavors (The Fruit Festival)
Celebrated at the end of May in Chanthaburi, Thailand, the fruit festival is all about the extravagance of fruits. Here you can try, enjoy and buy any kind of fruit you can imagine, from the basic dragon fruit to Mangosteen, the Queen of fruits, alongside enjoying live entertainment. Here, dishes are made using the widest selection of fruits available, including: pineapple wax apple, green mango, pomelo, honeydew melon, Thai red diamond mango, longan and rambutan.
Bun Bung Fai (The Rocket Festival)
The Rocket Festival is one of the most spectacular festivals in Thailand. This annual festival is held in May or June, in the Northeast and it aims to encourage rain fall, to help the local rice crops to grow well that year. As well as encouraging rain, the festival is also a great way to give people the chance to have fun and take a break before the year of hard work, planting and harvesting crops, begins. During this festival, people fire homemade rockets in the sky, competing against each other to see whose rocket will reach the highest points. It also includes parades, with floats, dancing, and traditional costumes, as well as a variety of traditional food and drink, including sticky rice and spicy papaya salad.
Other festivals
As well as the more popular and well-known festivals, Thailand has an abundance of other festivals on offer, where they serve a variety of traditional and local cuisines. This includes festivals which celebrate:
Silk Thread and Thai Heritage: The weaving of Thai silk is an art form which is passed through generations. Originating from the Northeastern region of Thailand, particularly in Isaan, silk weaving has been an integral part of the community. Each silk strand is meticulously hand-spun, dyed with natural ingredients, and woven on traditional looms.
Pottery and ceramics: Traditional pottery is celebrated in rustic villages across Thailand. Thai pottery has been celebrated for its distinctive glaze and styles, for example, the Celadon wares of Chiang Mai, with their jade-green glaze and crackled texture are highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts around the world.
Masks and puppetry: Festivals celebrating the Thai tradition of wearing masks and creating unique puppetry are often seen across Thailand. Masks are handcrafted with precision, as symbols of Thailand’s rich theatrical heritage, while Nang Yai shadow puppets (which are cut out from buffalo hide and painted in vibrant colours) are bought to life to narrate tales by casting enchanting shadows.
Thailand is rich in tradition and heritage and this is seen through the festivals its holds and the delicious cuisine it creates.