Festivals In Chiang Mai

Worshipping the Goddess of Water in Chiang Mai

On the full moon night of November, the people of Chiang Mai gather around the waterways of the city to celebrate the Loi Krathong, which is a holiday set to worship the goddess of water.  On this night, rafts made from banana trunks and decorated with candles, flowers and incense sticks are made to float on the water as a symbol of releasing the bad things that happened in the past year.

Celebrating the New Year in Chiang Mai

The Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is held every mid-April in Chiang Mai.  There are many ways that the Thai celebrate their New Year.  Families go on a round of the temples in Chiang Mai to pray and make donations.  There are street parties and drinking and splashing of water on the unwary.