Thai Holidays 2008
2008
NATIONAL
| DATE | ENGLISH NAME | THAI NAME | DESCRIPTION | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January (Tuesday) | New Year’s Day | Wan Khun Pee Mai วันขื้นปีใหม่ | National Holiday; the beginning of the Western New Year is a national holiday in Thailand | |
| 12 January (Saturday) | Children’s Day | วันเด็กแห่งชาติ | celebrated on the second Saturday in January, this day is marked by feasts organized by children | |
| 16 January (Wednesday) | Teacher’s Day | วันครู | a special day when students make merit for their teachers (who are highly regarded in Thailand) | |
| 25 January (Friday) | Thai Army Day | วันกองทัพไทย | marked by military parades and the King reviewing the army | |
| 7 February (Thursday) | Chinese New Year | Wan Trut Chin วันตรุษจีน | with 10 percent of Thailand’s population having ancestors who emigrated from China in the last century, this day is marked by celebrations throughout the country; some businesses may be closed but it is not an official national holiday | |
| 14 February (Thursday) | Valentine’s Day | วันวาเลนไทน์ | a very popular day in Thailand for sending flowers and small gifts, and for marriage registrations | |
| 21 February (Thursday) | Magha Puja | Makha Bucha วันมาฆาบูชา | National Holiday; celebrates the Buddha’s first sermon to his disciples | |
| 6 April (Sunday) | Chakri Day | วันที่ระลึกมหาจักรีบรมราชวงศ | National Holiday; commemorates the founding of the current dynasty by Rama I | |
| 13 April (Sunday) | Thai New Year | Songkran วันสงกรานต์ | National Holiday; the traditional Thai new year, celebrated as a three-day water festival | |
| 14 April (Monday) | Thai New Year | Songkran วันสงกรานต์ | National Holiday; the traditional Thai new year, celebrated as a three-day water festival | |
| 15 April (Tuesday) | Thai New Year | Songkran วันสงกรานต์ | National Holiday; the traditional Thai new year, celebrated as a three-day water festival | |
| 1 May (Thursday) | National Labour Day | วันแรงงานแห่งชาต | National Holiday; International Labor Day is a national holiday in Thailand | |
| 5 May (Monday) | Coronation Day | วันฉัตรมงคล | National Holiday; celebrates the day in 1949 when Rama IX was crowned | |
| 9 May (Friday) | Royal Ploughing Ceremony | วันพืชมงคล | Government Holiday; held at Sanam Luang in Bangkok (near Wat Phra Kaew), this important event singals the start of the rice-planting season | |
| 19 May (Monday) | Vesak | Visakha Bucha วันวิสาขบูชา | National Holiday; the holiest Buddhist holiday celebrates the birth, enlightenment, and entry into nirvana of the Buddha | |
| 12 June (Thursday) | Wai Kruh Day | Wan Kruh วันครู (’Day of the Teacher’) | students collectively pay respect to their teachers by giving a golden tray with three kinds of flowers - the ixora, in Thai called ‘kem’, the flower of the ‘makeua’ or eggplant, and a lotus | |
| 26 June (Thursday) | Sunthorn Phu Day | Sunthorn Phu (สุนทรภ) Day | Thailand’s highest-regarded poet is honored by poetry recitals, plays, and puppet shows throughout the country | |
| 1 July (Tuesday) | Mid-Year Day | n/a | Bank Holiday | |
| 17 July (Thursday) | Asalha Puja | Asanha Bucha วันอาสาฬหบูชา | Theravada Buddhist public holiday | |
| 18 July (Friday) | Buddhist Lent (Vassa) | Khao Phansa วันเข้าพรรษา | National Holiday; this day marks the beginning of the Buddhist “lent” period, a time when monks are supposed to retreat to their temples while new life springs forth | |
| 12 August (Tuesday) | Queen’s Birthday | Wan Mae Heng Chat วันแม่แห่ชาติ | National Holiday; also celebrated in Thailand as Mother’s Day | |
| 22 September (Monday) | Mid-Autumn Festival | เทศกาลไหว้พระจันทร์ | also known as the Moon Cake Festival, this Chinese holiday is celebrated with a special kind of sweet cake filled with sesame seeds, ground lotus seeds, and eggs | |
| 14 October (Tuesday) | End Of Buddhist Lent Day | วันปวารณา ออกพรรษา | Theravada Buddhist event marking the end of the three-month rain retreat for monks | |
| 23 October (Thursday) | Chulalongkorn Day | วันปิยมหาราช | National Holiday; celebrates the birthday of King Rama V | |
| 13 November (Thursday) | Loy Krathong Festival | วันลอยกระทง | religious festival observed on the full moon of the 12th lunar month by floating a krathong boat in nearby rivers or ponds | |
| 5 December (Friday) | H.M. The King’s Birthday | วันเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว | National Holiday; also celebrated as National Day and Father’s Day | |
| 10 December (Wednesday) | Constitution Day | วันพระราชทานรัฐธรรมบูญ | National Holiday; commemorates the date in 1932 when Thailand was granted its first constitution | |
| 25 December (Thursday) | Christmas Day | วันคริสต์มาส | while not an official public holiday in Thailand, it is widely celebrated by the Thai people (who love any excuse to have fun) as well as foreign workers and tourists | |
| 31 December (Wednesday) | New Year’s Eve | วันสิ้นปี | National Holiday; the day before the Western New Year’s Day is always a national holiday in Thailand |
LOCAL & REGIONAL
| DATE | NAME | LOCATION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| mid-January | Elephant Festival | Chaiyaphum | |
| late January | Don Chedi Memorial Fair | Suphanburi | |
| March (full moon) | Prasat Phanom Rung Festival | Buriram | |
| early April | Poi Sang Long Festival | Mae Hong Son | |
| 19 April (Thursday) | Pattaya Festival | Pattaya, Chonburi | |
| 13-15 May | Rocket Festival | Isaan, esp. Yasothon | |
| mid-June | Phi Tah Khohn Festival | Dahn Saai, Loei | |
| mid-June | Fruit Festival | Chanthaburi | |
| 15 August (Friday) | Sart Chin Day | – | Ghost Festival |
| October | Rub Bua | Bang Phli | Lotus-Throwing Festival |
| October | Buffalo Racing | Chonburi | |
| 15 October (Wednesday) | Vegetarian Festival | Phuket | southern Thai of Chinese ancestry begin a 10-day vegetarian diet for purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making |
