Dates: 28 February 2009, 28 March 2009 and 25 April 2009

19-25 February 2009

14 February -- Valentine's Day

6-15 February 2009
Venue: In front of Chai Nat Administration Hall and at Riang Hin Dam, Muang County, Chai Nat (194 km north of Bangkok)

Straw birds fair of Chai Nat is held annually in February. In the fair, tourists will witness the fantastically decorated floats of large, brightly coloured straw birds, which will join in a contest later.

There will be many other activities like students’ performances on stage to entertain visitors, exhibitions and booths from government officers and private sections, OTOP booths and stalls selling 5-star local products and food, and much more on entertainment programmes.

In addition, Chai Nat Bird Parks, situated nearby keeping more than 100 species of birds and fishes, is worth visiting.


ABOUT CHAI NAT

Chai Nat is located in the central of Thailand. In the south of formerly Chai Nat, there is a dam impounds the Chao Phraya river for flood control and to divert water into the country's largest irrigation system. The dam, part of the Greater Chao Phraya Project, was finished in 1957 and was the first dam constructed in Thailand.

CHAI NAT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

1. Chai Nat Bird Garden or Suan Nok Chai Nat

This place is the most famous traveling place in Chai Nat. It is the biggest Bird park in Asia. There are many bird species here, This garden is open from 8 AM – 5 PM

2. Chainatmunee National Museum

It is in area of Wat PhrabharomThatviharn. The museum is a two storey building. The second floor was the place for the Buddha from Tarawadee time till present. The first floor is for the Sankalok Buddha, ornaments, and ancient tools.

3. Wat ThammaMulviharn

The main temple of Chainat since Ayudhaya time. This temple was located at Thammamul hill slope, on the bank of Chaophraya river.

4. Chaophraya Dam

There are ten thousand teals here in January. The viewpoints here attract visiting travelers.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is celebrated on the first day of the First Moon of the Chinese lunar calendar and this year it falls on January 26. It is regarded as the most important celebration in the Chinese calendar.

4-8 December 2007

28 November 2007 – 28 March 2008

The joyous occasion of H.M. King Bhumibol’s 80th Birthday Anniversary this year is a great opportunity for us Thai people to show our deepest loyalty and enormous respect for His Majesty and his royal family. One way of doing so is to truly appreciate what they have done for our nation. In fact, by visiting the royal project places, you can both gain knowledge and be impressed by the beautiful scenery as well.

You all are welcome to visit the royally initiated projects to appreciate and learn from the royal wisdom that the Thai people are so proud of. Here are the nine chosen projects, which are well worth your visit:

1. Doi Tung Development Project, Chiang Rai
This project was found under the Royal Patronage of the late Princess Mother. Its main objective is to encourage hilltribes to grow fruit trees and other cash crops as substitutes for poppies and slash and burn cultivation.

The project not only achieved its goal, but also succeeded in teaching hilltribes to conserve the environment and create their local handicrafts. Due to its great success in developing the hilltribes area for a long period of time, Doi Tung has received an award from the United Nation for sustainable alternative development and another from the Pacific Asia Travel Association for eco-tourism.

2. Rai Mae Fah Luang & Hall of Opium, Chiang Rai
Rai Mae Fah Luang is a magnificent museum for the great collection of Lanna’s artifacts. The Hall of Opium was built to remind people of the history of poppy planting in Thailand, which once was notorious for the Golden Triangle, formerly the largest opium producer in the world.

3. Royal Agricultural Station, Angkhang, Chiang Mai
King Bhumibol bought a piece of land in Doi Angkhang and found the Royal Project to be a research station for cool-climate vegetables and fruits. He aimed to help the impoverished hilltribes, who unknowingly destroyed the ecosystem in the area, to earn their income without deforestation. Further than that, it later became a collection centre of rare and beautiful plants.

4. Elephant Conservation Centre, Lampang
The Centre was opened by HRH Princess Sirindhorn in 1992 to conserve Thai Elephants and to give interested people more understanding of this huge mammal. Besides, the only elephant hospital in the world is located here. And a short mahout-training course for tourists is in operation here, too.

5. Bang Sai Arts & Crafts Centre, Ayutthaya
It was established under the Royal Patronage of H.M. Queen Sirikit to relieve the poverty of Thai people by teaching them some useful artisan skills that can be developed into their sidelines. Students’ products are sold at the Centre and distributed to many shops elsewhere in the country.

Another interesting thing is a demonstration village that consists of four typical houses of the four regions of Thailand showing the local people’s ways of life. Apart from these, a fish palace and a bird sanctuary are established here to conserve animal species.

6. Wat Yannasangwararam, Chonburi
This modern Thai temple was built by foreigners to honour H.M. King Bhumibol. There are various beautiful construction styles such as the replica of Bodhagaya stupa (in the Lord Buddha’s birthplace), the traditional Chinese-style temple, and a Swiss chalet. The temple was named after H.M. the King’s mentor “Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara”, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. It is famous worldwide as a meditation centre.

7. Mrigadayavan Palace, Phetburi
It was constructed by order of King Rama VI (1910-1925) as his summer palace. At present, after being restored to its former condition, it is open for public viewing. The palace is now splendid and enriched by the magnificent relics of its time.

8. College in the Court, Nakhon Pathom
This royally initiated project was established to promote the 10 basic disciplines of ancient Siamese native skills to people. The students’ handiworks display section and classes are open to visitors.

9. Ban Kut Na Kham Arts & Crafts Centre, Sakon Nakhon
The Centre was established to eliminate the poverty from the region by educating people to produce distinct handicrafts such as wickerwork, pottery, and hand-woven silk with the unique patterns.

H.M. King Bhumibol has recently been awarded Human Development Lifetime Achievement by the United Nations for his outstanding dedication and achievement in human development.

During his long reign, he has been working tirelessly to help his people get better standards of living. Throughout the country, thousands of royally initiated projects have been launched to improve the quality of life of the people of Thailand.

Not only the projects enable the people in the remote areas to stand on their own feet, but also give rise to new tourist attractions, which in turn help those people gain more income.

24 November 2007

Venue: Nationwide Happened to be in Thailand in November, you will experience the most spectacular Loi Krathong Festival. The festival is a tradition has been observed for no less than 700 years since the Sukhothai period (1238-1438), in the reign of King Phra Ruang (1347-circa 1374). It is traditionally performed on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which falls on 24 November this year.

17-18 November 2007

Nagas’ Fireballs 2007: The End of the Buddhist Lent Festival

The fireballs emerging from the Mekong River and shooting up into the sky about 50-100 metres high before vanishing into thin air, is an unexplainable phenomenon that happens annually on the evening of the full moon of the 11th lunar month. This year it falls on 26 October.

The reddish-pink elliptical fireballs are believed to belong to the Nagas who live beneath the waters of the Mekong River. During the period of the end of the Buddhist lent each year a flock of tourists travel to Nong Khai Province to witness this eerie phenomenon.

Activities to be held in the period are as follows:

- Thevorohana merit making- A ritual of worshipping the Nagas

- A procession in celebration of the end of the Buddhist lent

- Thai-Laos royal trophy long-boat races

11-19 October 2007

The Ceremony of Immersing a Buddha Image, Um Phra Dam Nam
10-14 October 2007
Venue: Wat Trai Phum, Phetchabun Province


The ceremony of immersing a Buddha image or locally called Um Phra Dam Nam is a unique ceremony that cannot be found anywhere in the world but here at Phetchabun Province, 346 km north of Bangkok. The ceremony is held every year to coincide “Sat Thai” Day, i.e. the full moon day of the 10th lunar month, the day the Thais believe all spirits are released to receive the food dedicated by their relatives. This year, the celebration will be held from 10 to 14 October with the ceremony on 11 October at Wat Trai Phum, which houses a Buddha Image called Phra Buddha Maha Thamma Racha.


There is a folktale telling the origin of this odd ceremony. The story has it that one day about 400 years ago, there was a strange incident in which fishermen in the Pasak river in the area of the present Phetchabun province couldn’t catch any fish as if there were no more fish in the river. This caused puzzle to everyone.

What was even more amazing, the current of the river became still and then gradually sent up more and more bubbles as if it were boiling. Finally a big and deep whirling current was formed. This miracle startled everyone when a Buddha image emerged above the water going up and down as if the Buddha were enjoying himself in the water. Realizing the sacredness of the Buddha image, people of the region brought it up to be kept in Wat Trai Phum for worship.


Then another miracle happened on Sat Thai Day the next year, when the Buddha image vanished from the temple and was found floating in the same position of the Pasak river where the image appeared last time. Since then, on Sat Thai Day of every years, a ceremony of immersing the Buddha image has been held in Phetchabun in accordance with the belief that if the ceremony were not held in any year, the Buddha would disappear, resulting in drought and a crop failure in the province. The ceremony also serves to celebrate the holiness of the Buddha image, to help spread Buddhism, and to promote tourism in the province.

Usually on this day, people in large numbers will come to worship the Buddha image at the temple and cover it with gold leaf. And there will be a procession going round the city (10 October), led by the Buddha image, which is placed on a butsabok, a small movable pavilion, and followed by traditionally dressed dancers, as well as ordinary people.

The highlight of the ceremony takes place when the sacred Buddha image is put onto butsabok by the provincial governor and carried in a barge in which there are other officials of high ranks and some monks from Wat Trai Phum (11 October).

The barge then glides down to the landing stage of Wat Trai Phum where Phra Phutta Maha Thamma Racha is put into the water by the governor. The water there, as is believed by Phetchabun people, then becomes holy. And happy scenes of people jumping into the water swimming, dipping up a little of it, or even grasping floating bits of golden leaf coming off the Buddha, are witnessed by visitors.


More about the northern region of Thailand
For more information, please contact:
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Northern Office: Region 3
Tel: +66 (0) 5525 2742 to 3