Discover the best festivals in Phuket and experience the island’s rich culture and traditions. From the vibrant Phuket Vegetarian Festival and Songkran celebrations to Chinese New Year and Loy Krathong, explore unforgettable events that bring Phuket to life throughout the year during your stay at Novotel Phuket Kata Avista Resort & Spa.
When is Chinese New Year In Phuket celebrated?
Observances traditionally take place from the evening preceding the first day of the year to the Lantern Festival, held on the 15th day of the year. The first day of Chinese New Year begins on the new moon that appears between 21st January and 12th February. In 2025, the first day of the Chinese New Year will be on 29th January.
How is Chinese New Year celebrated?
Chinese New Year (Lunar New Year) is a time for families to be together. The Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner is called ‘Reunion Dinner’, and is believed to be the most important meal of the year. Chinese people have the custom of staying up late on Chinese New Year’s Eve to welcome the new year’s arrival. After reunion dinner, families normally sit together to watch the Spring Festival Gala, one of the most watched TV shows in China. At the same time, most people send WeChat red envelopes or short messages to acquaintances by phone.
Where to celebrate Chinese New Year in Phuket?
CNY celebrations in Phuket are majorly centered around Thalang Road, Dibuk Road and Phang Nga Road. Although this is a Chinese festival, it is celebrated by all and tourists are warmly welcomed to the festivities. In Phuket, there are dozens of beach parties on the days leading up to the New Year.
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What is Loy Krathong in Phuket?
Krathong is a Thai term which refers to a piece of banana trunk decorated with flowers, banana leaves, candle and incense sticks. The word Loy means to float in the Thai language. When put together, those two terms simply mean floating banana trunk festival. Modern krathongs are mostly made out of bread or Styrofoam. But Styrofoam krathongs are sometimes not allowed as they pollute the water and they are difficult to decompose. Bread Krathongs are more environmentally friendly as they are biodegradable and in most cases eaten by fish.
Why do Thai people want to float a krathong?
There are many stories regarding how the festival originated. One of the versions is that Thai people have long been closely involved with rivers for ages as Thailand is an agriculture based country. This means rivers are like their own blood veins. And to show respect to the river, basically the goddess of the river called Pra Mae Khongkha, Thai people decided to make a Krathong to worship and ask for forgiveness. The Thais now also see it as a time to wave goodbye to misfortune, wash away sins of the past year, and make wishes for the coming year.
When is Loy Krathong celebrated?
Loy Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar, this usually falls in November. The exact date is announced a month before the festival.
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What do tourists need to know about the Songkran festival in Phuket?
Visit Phuket in the middle of April (13th, 14th, and 15th) to participate in the famous Thai New Year celebration, also called Songkran festival. The three-day-long ceremony marks the beginning of the solar calendar, and it is the most popular festival for Thais. The event is an occasion for making merry by hitting the street and splash water to each other using water guns and buckets, while, for some, it is an event to show respects to family elders.
What happens at the Songkran festival?
On this momentous event, Thailand gets into a festive mood with Thais return home to celebrate with family members. Despite the countrywide holiday, business runs as usual in Phuket with tourists can enjoy tours and day trips as expected. However, traffic jam is expected as everyone comes out on the roads in mini-truck and splash water to each other.
Starting from the morning of 13th April, Thais celebrate this exceptional day in many forms and styles. First, they sprinkle water to the family members and Buddha statues with respect and follow by a prayer. An act believed to bring good luck.
The fun part begins later in the morning when people start throwing water to each other. Not just in Phuket, the whole country gets into a water war zone. Besides the locals, tourists from different parts of the world participate in fun activities during their holiday in Thailand.
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