Festivals are an essential part of the Thai life and as such offer the visitor a valuable opportunity not only for having fun, but also for gaining an insight into various aspects of Thai culture. This is especially true in the rural areas where the year is still dictated by the agricultural cyle and times of toil are punctuated by seasonal festivals that server as both holidays and propitious occasions.

Many festivals follow the lunar calendar and are thus moveable feasts, where others have set annual dates. There are, however, so many throughout the year that whenever you arrive in Thailand you can be pretty sure of being in time for one special occasion or another.

Of the national events, Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year on April 13th, and Lor Krathong, on the right of the full moon in November, are the most famous. The former, these days most riotously celebrated in chiang Mai, is a boisterous affair in which water is splashed over one and all, It is symbolic of cleansing, though most youngsters see it as just good fun.

Loi Krathong, by contrast, is a quieter more romantic event in which homage is paid to the Mother of Waters. All over the country, people gather at rivers, ponds, and lakes under the moonlight to float krathongs, small lotus-shaped offerings containing incense, a candle and a coin. It is a moving and magical sight.

Of regional celebrations, perhaps the most spectacular is the Yasothon Rocket Festival held in the Northeast in May. At this time, huge home-made rockets are fired into the air as an invocation for ain, the timely arrival of the monsoon being crucial for the rice harvest. Whether the rockets acutally encourage the rain or not, no one in Yasothon missed this occasion for having a wild, joyous time before the arduous work of another agricultural season begins.

Other evernts, like the Royal Ploughing Ceremony held in Bangkok to predict the year's rice harvest, or the Elephant Round-Up in Surin. Offer priceless insights into the traditions, rites and pageants that have for long regulated the lives of the people.