Thailand Stories

This has indeed been a black day for the people of Thailand. Literally, as the black smoke from burning tyres made it look like that the city was on fire. Today should have been a day of joy as people celebrated the start of the traditional Thai new year. Although Songkran activities were …

This is really not the blog that I wanted to write today. In the early hours of morning, Thai soldiers were on the streets of Bangkok trying to clear red shirt protesters who were blocking many of the intersections. Shots were fired and tear gas cannisters discharged. The red shirt protesters are claiming six people …

Songkran has arrived again and people are getting ready to celebrate the start of the traditional Thai new year. However, Songkran is not just about the water fights. There are other, more traditionals, ways that Thai people can celebrate this festive season. At the Ancient Siam in Samut Prakan (formerly known as Ancient City), they are advertising “Songkran in the 4 Regions”. This will be held between 13th and 15th April 2009. If you…

The Thai government Sunday afternoon announced the state of emergency for Bangkok and some districts in Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Ayutthaya. Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban will be chief enforcer of the state of emergency measures. Police and soldiers as well as civil servants will assist Suthep in the operations to restore normality. Songkran parades and other activities in these areas are expected to be cancelled. …

In Thailand at the moment it is the summer holidays for school students. At Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan they have just come to the end of Summer School. Next week marks the start of the Songkran Festival which is the start of the traditional Thai new year. As it is the hottest time of the year, young people like to have some fun by taking …

Next week sees the celebration for the start of the traditional Thai new year. From the 13th-15th April, Thai people will be dressing up in new clothes and visiting the local temple to make merit and to their grandparents in order to receive blessings. Afterwards, the youngsters will be out on the street taking part in the world’s biggest water fight. * If you go out during Songkran, then you …

Poster in Thai Temple says No selling and Drinking of Alcohol With the Songkran holidays just around the corner, the government and the Thai people have been debating again about whether to ban the sale of alcohol. We go through this every year. The reason is that so many people die in road accidents during the traditional Thai new year holidays. This is mainly attributed to alcohol…

31. Suvarnabhumi also holds the record for ‘longest airport project in history!’ First planning of the new Bangkok airport dates back to 1960. 32. The original name for the new airport, before it was changed to Suvarnbhumi, was ‘Nong Ngoo Hao’. The name was changed as the original 1. Didn’t have a very good meaning (superstition) and 2. No foreigner would ever be able…

The big day has come at last. The day I am going to have my own motorcycle. I rang my aunt to find out about the best day and time to buy a motorcycle. She said the monk told her that I could buy it any day but it has to be convenient for me, nothing …

The Pattaya International Mardi Gras took place yesterday along Beach Road in Pattaya. This was their first attempt at a “Mardi Gras” which I guess was held to help boost tourism in the region. The advertising posters billed it as “Pattaya’s first electrical carnival parade”. They are hoping to make this an annual event though …

The other day, I was showing some people around the school. They were visiting from Australia. They made a good point that some of the teachers were a bit slow taking down the “Happy New Year” banners from the classrooms. I said that well may be true from their point of view. But you could look at it …

Giving alms to the monks on New Year’s Day When talking about celebrating the “new year” in Thailand, you need to first ask, “Which one?”. Last night, much the same as the rest of the world, the Thai people celebrated the new year by attending countdown events around the country. At the stroke of midnight, there were fireworks and a lot of cheering. However, Thai people have…

The date of the “new year” in Thailand has moved around a few times over the years. It started as a movable festival called Songkran that followed the dates of the lunar months. In 1889, it was fixed to be held on the 1st of April. This continued until 1941 when 1st of January became the “new …

It is that time of year again when the Christmas decorations go up and the shopping malls start to play Christmas songs such as Jingle Bells and Santa’s Coming to Town. Sometimes it is difficult to believe that we are living in a Buddhist country when we see a large and brightly lit …

The thing is, I actually love Songkran. The way it once was (I imagine), the way it should be. I love playing Songkran water fights with my students in the school yard, getting drenched all the same, but without ice cubes, in gently warm tap water. No rashes the next day, no two days of sneezing. We share buckets…