Planning to visit Thailand in 2019? Get the most out of your experience! Learn here about the most important holidays in Thailand - fast and easy with ThaiPod101!
| January 12, 2019 | Children’s Day |
| January 16, 2019 | Teachers’ Day |
| February 2, 2019 | Inventor’s Day |
| February 3, 2019 | Veterans’ Day |
| February 5, 2019 | Chinese New Year’s day |
| February 19, 2019 | Magha Bucha Day |
| April 2, 2019 | Thai Heritage Conservation Day |
| April 6, 2019 | Chakri Memorial Day |
| April 13, 2019 | Songkran Day |
| May 1, 2019 | May Day |
| May 13, 2019 | Royal Ploughing Ceremony Day |
| May 18, 2019 | Visakha Bucha Day |
| July 16, 2019 | Asalha Puja Day |
| July 17, 2019 | Buddhist Lent Day |
| July 28, 2019 | King Vajiralongkorn’s Birthday |
| July 29, 2019 | National Thai Language Day |
| August 12, 2019 | Mother’s Day |
| October 13, 2019 | Anniversary for the Death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej |
| October 13, 2019 | The End of Buddhist Lent Day |
| October 23, 2019 | Chulalongkorn Day |
| November 11, 2019 | Loy Krathong Day |
| December 5, 2019 | Father’s Day |
| December 10, 2019 | Constitution Day |
How well do you know holidays in Thailand?
In this article, you learn all about the top Thailand holidays and the traditions and history behind them. Check the must-know Thai vocabulary for popular holidays in Thailand too!
That way, you can easily talk about Thai holidays while improving your vocabulary and overall speaking skills. You will pick up key vocab, phrases, and cultural insights you won’t find in a textbook.
Perfect for any student interested in learning more about Thai culture. We will teach you the what, why, when and how of Thailand holidays.
On Children’s Day, the incumbent Prime Minister gives a new motto or คำขวัญ (kham khwăn) to children each year. The mottos are often short, easy to remember, and very practical. On the Friday before Children’s Day, schools will arrange various activities to celebrate the day. Some let students show their talents to support their self-confidence. On Children’s Day, children are given special privileges. For example, many places are opened to children free of charge, and popular attractions and theme parks offer discounts.
Because teachers are regarded as second parents, this day is for students to pay respect to their teachers. The day before Teacher’s Day, schools around the nation arrange Teacher’s Day activities. In the morning, teachers and students offer food to monks, and a ceremony is held to pay respect to teachers. “Students” or นักเรียน (nák-riian) in each class bring a tray of flowers to their class teacher. After that, they all bow at their teachers’ feet to show their gratitude for the teachers’ wisdom and continuous care for them.
In Thailand, Thais celebrate Inventor’s Day as a way of commemorating the patent of the slow speed surface aerator which was introduced by King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the year of 1993.
Thailand celebrates Veterans’ Day as the day on which the War Veterans Organization of Thailand was formed. Further, it’s often seen as a day to commemorate the victory of Thailand in annexing some territory from France in 1941. The most common form of celebration on this day is the buying and gifting of red poppies, which symbolize both the bloodshed of veterans and peace.
Though this day isn’t recognized as a public holiday, like it is in China, there are still a number of widely held celebrations. On this day, Chinese-Thai people dress beautifully in “red,” or สีแดง (sǐi-daaeng), and visit relatives to pay their respects. Another tradition on this day is to give a “Red Envelope” or New-year money to children as a symbol of good fortune and advancement in their career. About one week before the Chinese New Year, Chinese-Thai people take the opportunity to clean up their houses. It’s believed that this act will help drive away bad spirits from households in order to start the New Year with goodness and purity.
Buddhist practices on this day include offering food to monks in the morning, preparing food—either sweet or savory—for temples at lunchtime, and listening to preaching in the afternoon. At night, all will gather and bring flowers and candles to the temple. They’ll walk around the temple with candles in their hands along with the monks. While walking, people will remind themselves of the Buddha, his teachings, and the monks. When three rounds of walking are completed, candles and flowers are put on the altar, and the “ceremony,” or พิธีกรรม (phí-thii gam) ends.
Thailand began celebrating Thai Heritage Conservation Day in 1985, which is the celebration of the birthday of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. She is greatly known and revered for her intellect, her education, and her interest in various topics. This day is also seen as an opportunity to educate others on Thai culture and history.
This is a day to commemorate the grace of King Rama I, who ascended the throne and moved the capital to Bangkok. While he engaged in many missions during his reign, his most important mission was to protect the kingdom as well as to revive Thai culture. Nowadays, the most widely held tradition on Chakri Day is that the current king, along with other royal figures, host religious ceremonies to pay respect to previous kings in the dynasty at the Royal Palace temple. Afterwards, they lay wreaths at the Monument of King Rama I at the Phra Phuttha Yodfa Bridge.
Songkran is a long holiday period, which allows children and grandchildren who work in different areas, especially the capital city, to take the opportunity to visit their “hometown,” or บ้านเกิด (bâan gòoet), and “family,” or ครอบครัว (khrâawp-khruua). One long-held tradition consists of making offerings, offering food to monks, and doing charitable activities such as setting animals free and working for public services. Another traditional activity is to pour water onto elders’ or respected people’s hands to ask for their blessings.
Thai people appreciate the importance of labor and recognize the rights that workers deserve. On the morning of Labor Day, the Minister of Labor presides over a Buddhist merit making ceremony. Afterwards, workers will march together peacefully to attend the official opening ceremony of Labor Day, which is lead by the Prime Minister or นายกรัฐมนตรี (naa-yók rát-thà-mon-dtrii). Later, in the afternoon, workers or คนงาน (khon ngaan) have an opportunity to enjoy themselves.
One day before the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, a monk ceremony is held. Buddhist monks will perform according to the principles of Buddhism to bless seeds from each plant, or พืช (phûuet), for abundance. These seeds are used as grain in the ceremony the next day, and to distribute to farmers and people in each province to boost their morale. “Seeds,” or เมล็ด (má-lét), are thrown around while the steers are plowing. Then, food and drink, including beans, rice, corn, sesame, grass, water, and liquor, are fed to the cows. After the steers eat these items, the royal astrologer predicts the abundance of crops in the future, according to what was eaten.
The importance of Vesak Day is related to events associated with the advent of “Buddhism,” or ศาสนาพุทธ (sàat-sà-năa phút). It was the day of the birth, enlightenment, and death of the prophet, Buddha. When it’s close to Vesak Day, schools and government buildings will hold exhibitions displaying the history of and stories about Vesak Day in order to educate people and remind them of its importance. On Vesak Day, Thai people come out to offer food to “monks,” or พระสงฆ์ (phrá sŏng).
This was the day when the Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment, and thus is considered the day when Buddhism truly began. Common activities on this day include praying and the offering of food to monks in the morning and the offering of goods to monks and releasing birds-นก(nók) and fish-ปลา (bplaa) to redeem one’s sins.
This is the day when monks have to be especially careful, because it marks the start of the period where they cannot go out and preach freely as they usually do. A popular activity for Thai men in the Lent period is ordainment or การบวช (gaan bùuat). Temples nationwide organize an ordainment event for many new monks at the same time because of the high demand.
This is the day on which Thais celebrate the birthday of their King Vajiralongkorn. He’s the son of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, and is known as being the oldest monarch in Thailand to take the throne.
The Thai alphabet was originally adapted from the Cambodian language. But in 1283, King Ramkhamhaeng decided this wasn’t good enough because the Thai language is tonal. He had an initiative to modify Thai characters for easier writing and to add high- and low-tone symbols to match with each letter’s proper pronunciation. On National Thai Language Day, to preserve the usage of Thai language and promote proper usage to youth, popular activities are held in educational institutes, including competitions on essay writing and oral reading competitions to win scholarships.
Mother’s Day is celebrated in Thailand quite similarly to how it’s celebrated around the world. Mothers oftentimes receive various gifts including chocolate and flowers, and Thais enjoy a good family meal on this day.
On this public holiday, Thais remember the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Bhumibol Adulyadej was held in high regard by the majority of people, and is especially known for being the Thailand’s longest-ruling leader, having reigned for just over 70 years.
At the end of Lent, Buddhist monks will attend a traditional ceremony called Pavarana. This is an opportunity for monks to atone for an offense they may have committed during the Lent term. Some monks may have committed a wrongdoing which requires reparation. By having other monks criticize and remind them of the wrongdoing, they’ll become better aware of their “mistakes,” or ความผิดพลาด (khwaam phìt phlâat).
Chulalongkorn Day is the commemoration of King Chulalongkorn’s death, and is a very special holiday for Thais as he was one of the best kings in Thai history. He was loved by many, and for good reason: he abolished slavery, kept Thailand from being colonized by outsiders, and is known to have backed several other reforms which ultimately made Thailand a better country.
There are two major beliefs that form the origins of Loy Kratong Day. The first one is to worship Lord Buddha as he preached in Nakapipob (the land of Naga) and left his footprints by a river bank. The second is to worship the Khongkha Goddess, the goddess of the river, to thank her for providing water. People have designed a bowl as a symbol for worship. To build the bowl or กระทง (grà-thong), materials that float on the water are used, and these are decorated beautifully with flowers, joss sticks, candles, and other worship items. The Loy Kratong Festival is held on the night of a full moon. At dawn, people begin to bring their bowls to the river bank. Before floating them, they light the candles, ask for forgiveness, and ask for blessings and success.
Every year, when it gets close to Father’s Day, many places, including government buildings, schools, companies, or residential houses, will put up the national flag or ธง (thong). People will also clean the rivers, roads, and hospitals as well as place a portrait of His Majesty the King in front of companies and workplaces to indicate that these charitable activities are contributions to the King.
This is the day that commemorates the promulgation of the first permanent constitution of Thailand in 1932. The constitution was signed by King Rama VII, who acknowledged the shift from absolute monarchy to a democratic form of government with the King as a Head of State under the constitution. Before Constitution Day, educational institutions often hold an exhibition about the origin of the day as well as the content of the current Constitution.
You may ask why it is advantageous to know Thai holidays. There are a number of good reasons!
If you’re keen to learn Thai on your own, there are a number of ways to do this. Why not choose holidays as a theme? You can start by learning about the Thai culture, so find a video or TV program about holidays in Thailand. Better still - find a video or program about holidays in Thai, and watch it a few times! That way your ear will get used to the spoken language. You could also watch Thai movies without subtitles, as this too will train your ear to what correct Thai sounds like.
If you’re more advanced in Thai, you can practice your writing skills by writing a letter to your Thai friend about the holidays video. Or write a short review of the video, and post it on social media! Imagine how impressed your friends will be!
Practice your Thai pronunciation, and record yourself talking about your holiday in Thailand. Pronouncing words correctly in any language is very important, or you may find yourself saying things you don’t mean!
If you’re an absolute beginner, it would be best to start with a book, a CD series, free PDF cheat sheets and preferably your Thai friend who can help you. Or, you can start with ThaiPod101, for free!
Holidays in Thailand can also be the perfect opportunity to practice your Thai! For the best experience, make sure to master at least Level 1 of your Thai lessons here on ThaiPod101 before you go on holiday to Thailand. Then don’t be shy! Use it with every native speaker you encounter in every situation. Practicing continuously to speak a language is one of the most important habits if you want to become fluent. Or, if you’re a new subscriber to ThaiPod101 in a hurry to get to Thailand, study Absolute Beginner Thai for Every Day to help you get by as a traveller - you will be surprised how far a little Thai can go!
ThaiPod101 is uniquely geared to help you master relevant, everyday vocabulary and phrases, pronounced correctly and in the right context - this will set you on the right track. Our courses are perfectly designed to help you in fun ways!
But do have a holiday first. Ideally you will enjoy a different culture with a visit, and enrich your life in ways you cannot imagine. Don’t wait till 2020 to learn Thai through ThaiPod101 though - it will open a whole new world for you!
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