How do people celebrate
New Year around the world?
...in Thailand?
Thailand has its specific
New Year's date; it's different from the normal calendar. The
Thai New Year is celebrated
on April 13. This day is also a special festival which we call Song-Klarn
Day." On this day, Thai people play with water, throwing it on each other.
It's also a Thai custom that we respect senior citizens, so most Thai people
go back to their hometowns to visit their grandparents to ask for good
luck. (Piboon Choklerdpatana)
In Thailand, we don't have
specific customs for New Year's Eve. When the New Year comes, people just
celebrate. A few days before New Year's Day, most people who have migrated
from another city to the capital city of Thailand will go back to their
own city in order to celebrate with their families. At twelve o'clock when
the clock chimes, people usually say, "Happy New Year!" to family members.
Some families have fireworks, too. In the morning on January 1st, children
often ask for some blessings or wishes from their parents and grandparents,
and both of them will give the children money, usually quite a lot of money.
They give them new money. The children will use this money to buy whatever
they want because they think when the New Year comes, everything should
be new. New things are a good sign for starting life again.
Most people think if their
past time before New Year's was bad, the new year will bring them good
luck, and they can start their life again. [Rungsima Trahoolngam (Kwang)]
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