The Songkarn Festival
Songkran Festival is the celebration of the Thai traditional New Year. The work Songkran comes form Sanskrit meaning the beginning of new solar your. Songkran is a fixed date on a solar calendar. It is cerebrate on April 13 of each year.
On the eve of Songkran Day, people clean their houses and burn all the rubbish. This is done in the belief that anything bad belonging to the old year in destroyed and not carried on to the New Year.
On the morning of Songkran Day, people ware new clothes and go to their temples to offer food to the monks. Some people also make merit by releasing live birds and fish. It is also customary to have a religious service in memory of the dead.
In the afternoon of the same day, there is a Bathing ceremony of the Buddha images. Then there is a bathing ceremony in which the younger people pour scented water into the palms of their elders and revered persons as a sign of respect. Some people also give their elders a towel or other bathing requisites as a present. The elders usually give blessings in return. Children and young people then enjoy themselves by throwing water to on another.
Loy Krathong Festival
Loy Krathong, or the floating festival, falls on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which is In the later part of October or in the first half of November.
In the world Loy means to float and the word Krathong refer to a cup made from banana leaves. The Loy Krathong festival is, therefore, the festival when people float cups made from banana leaves in the seas, rivers or canals on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month. The Krathong are usually beautiful made by hand into the shape of a lotus. In each Krathong, people put a candle, three incense sticks, flowers and a few coins. In the old days, people put pieces and a few coins. In the old days, the Krathong. It has also been a practice of the local people to cut a little bit of hair and finger nail and put them in the Krathong. This is believed to chase away bad luck.
Most of the big hotels in Phuket will organize the Loy Krathong ceremony for their guests and staffs at the swimming pool, pubic ceremony also available at Sapanhin (Municiple of Muang Phuket), Chalong Bay and all beaches.
The Chinese New Year
This is an important day for all Chinese households as it is a day for ancestral worship and a reunion dinner for all members of the family. People who go to work and live elsewhere usually return to their parents’ home on this day of the family reunion and ancestral worship.
New Year’s Eve
During the morning of New Year’s Eve, Housewives and the women of the families are busy Preparing food, for example: boiled chicken, roast duck, roast pork, stewed pork hog and all other delicicaes
At the dishes are arranged as an offering on the altar table in front of the ancestors. After the incense sticks and the incense paper are burned at the end of the worship, the food can be collected form the alter table and the family meal begins.
Later on New Year’s Eve, the houses are swept for the last time. No sweeping is allowed on New Year’s Day as it is believed that good fortunes would also be swept away. On New Year’s Eve, most families stay up late usually until past midnight. After mid-night of New Year’s Eve, fire-cracker are let off to welcome the New Year. It is also believed that the sound of fire-crackers will frighten away evil spirits.
The Vegetarian Festival In Phuket
In Phuket, the Vegetarian Festival is said to have tarted at Ktsyhu district about a hundred and fifty ears ago. At that time, Kathu was famous for tin are and the Chinese tin mine labourers formed a arge community there. Once, a drama troupe from China was hired to perform traditional Chinese operas to entertain the tin mine workers and thir families. While this Chinese drama troupe was in Phuket, an epidemic was spreading and many people died. The Chinese performers also became ill because of the epidemic and could not give any performances. Fortunately the suddenly realized the it was then the Chinese and could not give any performances. Fortunately, they suddenly realized that it was then the Chinese ninth lunar month and that they did not fast and pay homage to the Nine Emperor Gods as they used to do when they were in China. A Chinese man was, therefore, sent to China in order to Gods form a temple in China to Phuket. He brought back an urn containing a large incense, which had been lighted since the invitation ceremony he performed when he was in China. In the following year, the Chinese drama troupe as well as the local Chinese started this festival. Soon, the epidemic stopped. From then on, people in Phuket have celebrated this festival.
During the Vegetarian Festival
The Tall Lamp (Ko Teng) Raising Ceremony.
This ceremony is performed in the evening of the last day of the eighth moon. A post made form a whole tree trunk is first erected. The tall lamp, hung on a bamboo pole together with its leaves, twings and branches, is raised by pulley and fastened to the top of the post.
The Street Procession.
During the Vegetarian festival, processions of spirit mediums and devotees from toaist temples parade through town. The main reason of the street procession is to have a fire- worshipping ceremony at an open area near a water way. In Phuket, the fire-worshipping ceremony is performed by spirit mediums at Saphan Hin, a beach in downtown area. The Street procession also allowes people to have an opportunity to worship Kiu On Iah and other goods and goddesses who appear Through spirit mediums at their own homes.
The Bridge-Crossing
Ceeremony is one of the most important ceremonies during the Vegetarian Festival. It is in fact a self-purifying ceremony. It is usually performed at about 7.30 p.m. on the eight day of the festival. The main idea of the ceremony is that after one has crossed the bridge, and has gone through the rituals performed while he is crossing the bridge, he is cleansed from impurities and misfortunes that might fall upon him.
The Farewell Ceremony
The ninth day of the ninth month is the last day of the Festival. Around midnight of the last day, a long processing of spirit mediums and devotees again parade through town. The Farewell ceremony is performed near a waterway. In Phuket, it is performed near abeaches. Devotees Kneel down while the spirit mediums chant the prayers in Chinese. The ash in Kiu Ong Inh’s sacred urn is poured down into the sea and floats away. Kiu Ong Ianh is then supposed to return to Heaven. Chao Le Boat Floating Festival, in May Phuket
Falling during the middle of the sixth and eleventh lunar months every year, this festival is held at the Chao Le, or Sea Gipsy, this festival is Phuket. The Rawai and Sapam villages hold their ceremonies on the 13th; Si-Re villages celebrates on the 14th; and the village at Laem La (east of the bridge on Phuket’s northern tip) celebrates on the 15th. Ceremonies, which center around the setting adrift of small boats similar to the Thai Festival of Loy Krathong, are held at night and their purpose is to drive away evil and to bring good luck. Fingernail clipping and strands of hair are put in the little boats before being released, along with little dolls fashioned from wood. Afterwards, the villagers perform their famous dance around their own boats, called the ram rong ngeng.
The Queen’s Birthday celebrations
12 August, Nationwide. On the auspicious Occasion of the royal birthday of Her Majesty the Queen, homes and public buildings throughout the Kingdom are decorated with glittering fairy lights as an expression of reverence and loyalty to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit. In Phuket blessing Ceremony will be held at the main stage of Sapan Hin area, lead by the governor of Phuket and Thai people at 19.09 hours.
Thao Thep Krasatri-Thao Sri Suntorn Festival
This is helk on 13 March yearly in memory of the two heroines who led the defense of the island against the Burmese in 1785. In memorial of them, lead by the governor of Phuket, Phuket Provincial and Thoa thep Krasatri Foundation arrange the ceremony at the monument from 8.30 a.m. onward, the ceremony includes all religouses: Buddhist, Prama, Hidu and Sigh, there are also the street Processions to pay respect them from different Organizations in Phuket.
Por Tor Festival
This is an ancestor’s festival of the ethnic Chinese that falls on the seventh Chinese lunar month, which is the same as the ninth lunar month of the Thai calendar. Special foods, flowers and candles are presented to the ancestor’s altars. Cakes are baked in the shape of turtles, because turtles live to a great age and it is believed that by making sich offerings worshippers may extend the length of their own lives. This is an important merit-making festival.
