Colors of Chiang Mai Region - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Buddhism plays an important role in the life of Thais. You can see monks on the streets at dawn collecting alms, and most young people go to the temple for a kind of obedience after reaching the age of 20. A statue of Buddha is one of the most honourable places in every house, many people have images of the King and Queen on the walls. The traditional greeting in Thailand is called wai. Essentially, the palms of the hands are momentarily pressed together in a prayer-like gesture with fingers pointing upwards, usually close to the chest, and the head slightly bowed. In no case do not touch the head of a local resident and especially children, the head is considered to be a «clean place», and only the closest people can touch it.

Much attention is paid here to the position of the cardinal points in the planning of housing, furniture arrangement in the house and organization of space. There is a certain system in which the North and East have a higher priority than the South and West. Traditionally, the door is located in the East.

When communicating, keep a distance and do not touch the interlocutor. It is accepted to remain calm, not to show anger openly, not to shout and not to express emotions violently in public places. Fortunately, most of the rules do not apply to tourists, but you should still know about them. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

A lot of festivals are held here. Thais love holidays and celebrate them in a big way. In November, try to visit Loy Krathong - one of the most beautiful national holidays. On this day, locals get rid of all the negative. The original ritual of purification is carried out – thousands of small boats made of dough are lowered into the water, which symbolize a kind of offering to the Spirits of water. There are concerts within a few days around the city and various entertainment events.

The Yee Peng Festival takes place in November. This is a kind of new form of celebration Loy Krathong, but residents launch into the sky lanterns instead of traditional boats.

The Winter Festival and Red Cross Fair are held at the end of December. The fair traditionally has a lot of local goods directly from factories at low prices. There are also music shows and a beauty contest.

If you go to Chiang Mai in January, try to come here during Chinese New year, it is celebrated on January 22-23. You can see stunning bright parades and processions, traditional dances of dragons and lions in Chinatown these days.

There is a festival of flowers in early February. This is perhaps the brightest event of the year, a lot of people come to Chiang Mai to see it and take part in celebrations. In addition to flowers, much attention is paid to local crafts at the festival, you can buy traditional dishes, figurines, clothes and household items.

Thai New year, or Songkran, is celebrated in April. If you get to Chiang Mai these days, you can take part in the celebrations. Residents visit churches on holidays to make donations, concerts and performances are held everywhere. One of the most spectacular events of the holiday is the procession of the Beauty Queen. The whole city turns into a show for a few days. The peculiarity of Chiang Mai is that holidays are determined by the lunar calendar, so the dates are constantly shifted by a few days. If you want to get to a particular event, be sure to check with the dates in the current year.

At the end of May or June, the city hosts the City Column Festival, which attracts a large number of residents of the Northern provinces. You can see flowers and candles everywhere. Religious parades are also held during the festival.

Thais celebrate European New Year, it is customary to give gifts and visit close people on this day. Unique purification ceremonies conducted by Buddhist lamas create an incredible atmosphere.

Children's Day (second Saturday in January) is widely celebrated in Chiang Mai. There are concerts and processions, children's competitions and entertainment activities. Balls and flowers are everywhere. You can hear music everywhere and ride different rides. In the evening, hundreds of fireworks are launched into the sky.

On February 9, the whole country celebrates Magha Puja, the day of paying homage to Buddha. This is an official public holiday. All residents go to the temple to take part in prayer and rituals.

You can visit the Kite Festival in March. The festival annually attracts more and more foreign participants and spectators. Competitions and festive events are held here.

Many holidays are dedicated to the ruling dynasty. There is the Queen's Day, the feast of the founding of the ruling dynasty, the Day of Remembrance of King Rama IX and Rama V.

One of the most important holidays is considered Visakha Bucha -it is dedicated to Buddha, his life, teaching and death. It is celebrated on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month. In July, Asalha Puja is celebrated, another important religious holiday, when Buddhists go to the temple to pray and make donations. Khao Phansa is celebrated almost immediately after it – the day before the long fasting which lasts 3 months.