Chakri Memorial Day 2018

Chakri Memorial Day is a National Holiday in Thailand held annually on 6 April unless this is a weekend when the holiday will be observed on the following Monday. If you are visiting Thailand at this time, it is worth noting that all Government offices, schools and banks (except those in shopping malls) will be closed.

Officially known as 'King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great Day and Chakri Dynasty Memorial Day', Chakri Day commemorates the establishment of the Chakri Dynasty by Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) in 1782.

Chakri day commemorates the coronation of Rama I (who made Krung Thep (modern day Bankok) the capital of Siam) but it is also a day for the people of Thailand to recognise the contributions of all the kings in the dynasty.

It is celebrated by the King, accompanied by other members of the royal household, presiding over religious ceremonies and paying respect to his predecessors at the Royal Pantheon, which contains life-size statues of the first eight kings of the Chakri dynasty.

As this holiday always falls a few days before the three day Songkran festival, it is also an opportunity for many people to travel in preparation for the Songkran festivities

H.M Queen’s Birthday & Mothers Day

The Queen’s birthday is a National Holiday in Thailand held annually on 12 August unless this is a weekend when the holiday will be observed on the following Monday.

Sirikit was born on 12 August 1932, she met Bhumibol (the King of Thailand) in Paris, where her father was the Thai ambassador and they were married on 28 April 1950, a week before the King's official coronation.

Across Thailand, buildings are decorated to honour their queen but in Bangkok they really go to town with buildings and streets festooned with coloured lights, flowers and portraits of the queen.

Mother’s Day was first celebrated in Thailand in April 1950 in a similar fashion to the growing international celebration but in 1976, the custom of Mother’s Day was changed to 12 August to commemorate the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit.

The Queen's Flag

Asahna Bucha & Buddhist Lent

The Asahna Bucha (also known as Asalha Puja or Dhamma Day) is a Theravada Buddhist festival which typically takes place in July, on the full moon of the eighth lunar month. It is one of Theravada Buddhism’s most important festivals, celebrating as it does the Buddha’s first sermon in which he set out to his five former associates the doctrine that had come to him following his enlightenment. This first pivotal sermon, often referred to as “setting into motion the wheel of dhamma,” is the teaching which is encapsulated for Buddhists in the four noble truths: there is suffering (dukkha); suffering is caused by craving (tanha); there is a state (nibbana) beyond suffering and craving; and finally, the way to nirvana is via the eightfold path. All the various schools and traditions of Buddhism revolve around the central doctrine of the four noble truths.

This first sermon is not only the first structured discourse given by the Buddha after his enlightenment, it also contains the essence of all his subsequent teaching. At the end of the talk, one of the five participants recounted his understanding of what had been said and asked to be received as a disciple, a request the Buddha granted, thus establishing the first order of monks.

The Wian Tian ceremony

The day marks the beginning of Vassa, the Buddhist lent period also known as the 'Rains Retreat'. Ceremonies are held in Buddhist temples across Thailand. Many Thai people return to their ancestral homes to donate offerings to temples and listen to sermons. In the evening they will often perform a ceremony called 'wian tian', where they walk clockwise around the main shrine of the temple carrying a candle, incense sticks and lotus flowers.

During the day, monks chant mantras and preach the first sermon of the Buddha.
In Saraburi, local monks parade through the town with their alms bowls which, instead of the usual offerings of food, people will instead put flowers into their bowls. The monks then return to the temples and offer the flowers in honour of the Buddha.

Asanha Bucha Day is traditionally a popular day for young Thai men to enter the monkhood.
The day following Asahna Bucha is known as Khao Phansa or 'Buddhist Lent'. It marks the beginning of the three-month ‘Phansa’ period, during which all monks should stay in their temples and not travel. During the lent period, elaborate wax candles are kept burning. In the city of Ubon a Candle Festival is held where the people parade through the streets by candlelight and the winners of best candle design are announced.

Buddhist Lent Day is also a public holiday in Thailand, though banks are not closed.

Visakha Bucha Day

In Thailand, Buddha's birthday is known as Visakha Bucha Day. It is a holy day, so shops, bars and restaurants are barred from selling alcohol for 24 hours from midnight until midnight. All Government offices and many businesses will be closed. Schools and colleges may hang out yellow Buddhist flags to mark the day.

Visakha Bucha is the most important Buddhist holiday, celebrated by people all over the world and publicly recognised in countries where large numbers of Buddhists live.

Visakha Bucha Day commemorates what are considered the three major events in the life of Buddha: his birth, his enlightenment, and his death. All three events are believed to have occurred on the full moon of the sixth month in the lunar-based Thai calendar. This generally puts the holiday in May on the Gregorian calendar, though sometimes it lands in June.

Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical founder of Buddhism, was born in India some 3,000 years ago as a rich prince, but he left that life of luxury to seek out wisdom from the wise hermits who lived in woodlands scattered throughout the region at the time. He felt disappointed, however, and instead meditated under a Bodhi tree. There, he is believed to have attained enlightenment at the age of 35 and to have formulated the basic tenets of Buddhism. When he died at the age of 80. Buddhists believe he then entered the state of "nirvana" and escaped all suffering, death, and reincarnation.

In Thailand, Visakha Bucha Day is a time when the devout visit local temples to "make merit," by giving donations and engaging in various rituals. While there, they also listen to sermons on Buddha's teachings, meditate, recommit themselves to follow the five, or in some cases eight, precepts of Buddhism, and offer food to temple workers. Some also set birds or fish free as a means of eliminating "negative karma".

The Buddha Tree

Coronation Day

King Bhumibol Adulyadej

This national holiday in Thailand held annually on 5 May. If 5 May falls on a weekend, the holiday will be observed on the following Monday.

Known in Thai as 'Wan Chattra Mongkhon', this holiday marks the coronation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in 1950.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej has reigned Thailand since 9 June 1946, when he became king following the death of his brother. He is the world's longest-serving current head of state and the longest-reigning monarch in Thailand's history.

Nearly four years after becoming King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned Rama IX of Thailand in the Grand Palace on 5 May 1950, making him the ninth king of the Chakri dynasty. 
The coronation ceremony first took place at the start of the reign of King Rama IV in 1851 and takes place over three days. 

• 3 May Buddhist monks hold a service in honour of the Chakri dynasty in the Grand Palace. 
• 4 May the head of the Brahmin pries will read out the official proclamation of the coronation.
• 5 May, following a feast for the monks, the coronation ceremony takes place ending with a 21 gun salute at noon.

It is a tradition on this day, that the King will then present awards to those who have made a valuable contribution to Thailand.

Labour Day

Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

For many countries, "Labour Day" is synonymous with, or linked with, International Workers' Day, which occurs on 1 May and in the UK it’s called May Day. Some countries vary the actual date of their celebrations so that the holiday occurs on a Monday close to 1 May.

The Songkran Festival

The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit language and means the passage of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another. There are twelve Songkrans each year, but this one (sometimes called Major Songkran) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram and is closely related to the ‘vernal’ or Spring Equinox - when the sun crosses the plane of the earth's equator, making night and day of approximately equal length all over the earth.

The day for celebrating Songkran varied with the equinox until 1888, when it was switched to a fixed date of 13 April, however in 1940, Thailand switched to officially celebrate New Year on January 1, in line with almost all other countries.  

The Songkran celebration is similar to those of the Indian Holi Festival, the Chinese Ching Ming, and the Christian Festival of Easter. It is commonly believed that April Fool's Day probably originated as mocking those who didn't accept the switch of New Year from April to January in France in the Sixteenth Century.

The Songkran is also a water festival, the throwing of water is meant to symbolize washing away back luck and sins from from the year before. April is also the hottest part of the year in Thailand, so being soaked is a refreshing escape from the heat and humidity. Nowadays Thai’s will walk the streets having water fights using containers of water, water guns, or stand at the side of roads with a hose and soak anyone who passes by... and in some towns and cities even the local fire brigades get involved in the celebrations using fire engines to hose down the crowds, to keep them cool in the heat.

You may also get covered in chalk, a custom originating from the chalk used by monks to mark blessings. This combination of water and powder is almost identical to the Indian Holi Festival, and it is possible that the customs originated in India.

Other customs are that anything old and useless must be thrown away so as not to bring bad luck to the owner and to make New Year resolutions.

The Songkran Festival in Thailand

Chakri Memorial Day.

Chakri Memorial Day is a National Holiday in Thailand held annually on 6 April unless this is a weekend when the holiday will be observed on the following Monday. If you are visiting Thailand at this time, it is worth noting that all Government offices, schools and banks (except those in shopping malls) will be closed.

Officially known as 'King Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke the Great Day and Chakri Dynasty Memorial Day', Chakri Day commemorates the establishment of the Chakri Dynasty by Phra Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (Rama I) in 1782.

Chakri day commemorates the coronation of Rama I (who made Krung Thep (modern day Bankok) the capital of Siam) but it is also a day for the people of Thailand to recognise the contributions of all the kings in the dynasty.

It is celebrated by the King, accompanied by other members of the royal household, presiding over religious ceremonies and paying respect to his predecessors at the Royal Pantheon, which contains life-size statues of the first eight kings of the Chakri dynasty.

As this holiday always falls a few days before the three day Songkran festival, it is also an opportunity for many people to travel in preparation for the Songkran festivities

Makha Bucha Day

Makha Bucha, Māgha Pūjā or the Full Moon of Tabodwe is an important Buddhist festival celebrated on the full moon day of Māgha. The spiritual aims of the day are: not to commit any kind of sins; do only good; purify one's mind. It is an occasion when Buddhists tend to go to the temple to perform merit-making activities.

The third lunar month is known in the Thai language as Makha (Pali: Māgha); Bucha is also a Thai word (Pali: Pūjā), meaning "to venerate" or "to honor". As such, Makha Bucha Day is for the veneration of Buddha and his teachings on the full moon day of the third lunar month.

Māgha Pūjā day marks the four auspicious occasions occurring at the Veḷuvana bamboo grove, near Rājagaha in northern India ten months after the enlightenment of the Buddha. On that occasion, as recorded in the commentary to the Mahāsamayasutta, four marvellous events occurred:

1. 1,250 disciples came to see the Buddha that evening without being summoned.
2. All of them were Arahants, Enlightened Ones, and
3. All were ordained by the Buddha himself: Ehibhikkhus.
4. It was the full-moon day.

On this occasion the Buddha gave those Arahants the principles of Buddhism, called "The ovadapatimokha". Those principles are: To cease from all evil; To do what is good; To cleanse one's mind. In Thailand, this teaching has been dubbed the "heart of Buddhism".

On the evening of Magha full-moon day, each temple in Thailand holds a candlelight procession called a wian thian (wian meaning to circle around; thian meaning candle). Holding flowers, incense and a lighted candle, the monks and congregation members walk clockwise three times around the phra ubosot (ordination hall), once for each of the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

tham bun: Making merit by going to temples for special observances and join in the other Buddhist activities.

rap sin': Keeping the Five Precepts. Practice of renunciation: Observe the Eight Precepts, practice of meditation and mental discipline, stay in the temple, wearing white robes, for a number of days.

Constitution Day

This national holiday in Thailand held annually on 10 December unless this is a weekend when the holiday will be observed on the following Monday. If you are visiting Thailand at this time, it is worth noting that all Government offices and banks (except those in shopping malls) will be closed.

This holiday commemorates Thailand's adoption of a constitutional monarchy in 1932. At the start of the 1930s, Thailand (then called Siam) was suffering from the effects of the great depression. The King at the time, Rama VII, was seen by many as lacking in the experience needed to run the country, so The People's Party was formed by a group of intellectuals and senior military personnel, who presented the king with the option to stay in power but have his power reduced, thus creating a constitutional monarchy. Under the new constitution, the king and monarchy remained in place with the king as head of state, head of the military and defender of all religions, much like our own Monarchy in the UK.

Since 1932, Thailand has had 18 constitutions or charters, but all have been a variation of a constitutional monarchy. This constant of the monarchy during times of great change reflects the respect and admiration that the Thai people have for their Monarchy.

Constitution Day is a day when the people of Thailand thank the monarchy for granting them the right to run their country and is celebrated by parades and fireworks.

Chulalongkorn Day – The King and I…

Chulalongkorn Day is a National Holiday in Thailand held annually on 23 October unless this is a weekend when the holiday will be observed on the following Monday. If you are visiting Thailand at this time, it is worth noting that all Government offices and banks (except those in shopping malls) will be closed.

The day commemorates King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) who passed away on 23 October 1910. He was the fifth monarch of Siam from the House of Chakri and is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam (now Thailand) as he introduced many social and political reforms that helped to modernise the country, including the abolishment of slavery.

He came to the throne in 1868 when he was only 15 years old and was taught English and western customs by Anna Leonowens. Her memoirs of her time in the Siam royal court was retold in the book, 'Anna and the King of Siam' by Margaret Landon. The book was the basis for the popular Broadway & Westend musical and film, The King and I.

Yul Brynner & Deborah Kerr in the 1956 film adaptation