Have you noticed that your Thai home is suddenly surrounded by red banners and images of mythical Chinese creatures? Does your walk home suddenly take you by more street carts and tangerine vendors than ever before? If you’re in Thailand this week, you are lucky enough to celebrate the Chinese New Year, or Trut Chin in Thai, which happens to be one of the grandest holidays of the year. Over 14% of Thailand’s residents are of Chinese descent, making it a very important holiday to a large part of the population and a great excuse to party for the rest.
What is Chinese New Year in Thailand Like?
The 2014 Chinese New Year will be celebrated throughout Thailand from the 31st of January to the 1st of February. Over these days, there will be hundreds of festivals all across the country with firework displays, traditional dragon parades, angel parades and lion dances, floating lanterns and authentic Chinese cuisines sold by street vendors. Streets will be filled with the sounds of gongs, drums and firecrackers and the entrances of many shops and Thai condos will be festooned with red banners and decorations to encourage luck and happiness during the coming year.
Where to Celebrate Chinese New Year in Thailand
Typically, one of the best places in Thailand to celebrate the Chinese New Year is Bangkok, specifically on Yaowarat Road in Chinatown. Bangkok’s Chinatown is one of the largest and oldest Chinese communities in the world and thus a natural draw for Thai-Chinese people and visitors alike.
If you want to avoid the hectic nature of the city, you can always head to one of the other major festivals. Phuket is one option for those who want to celebrate by the beach. Four streets in Old Phuket Town including Thalang Road, Krabi Road, Dibuk Road and Phang Nga Road will be pedestrian-only for three days of celebrations.
Even less hectic, if you’d rather a calmer but still authentically Chinese place to celebrate, you can head north to Chiang Mai where the focus of the celebrations will be along the Ping River, surrounding the Chinese temple at the Warorot market. Here there will be an art and photo exhibition tracing the history of the Chinese community in addition to all of the parades that come standard with any Chinese New Year celebration.
Traditions of the Chinese New Year – What to Know
While the grand scale of the holiday makes it interesting for foreigners, it’s best to know a bit about the background of the holiday traditions. The Chinese New Year is a celebration of worship and thanksgiving to ancestors, as well as a time for family reunion. The holiday holds as similar significance as Christmas does to the Western world.
During the evening, see if you can spot all of the mythical creatures that play a role in the traditions of the holiday, which is filled with iconography from ancient Chinese legends. Dragons are referred to as the divine mythical creature that brings with it prosperity and good fortune, and lions are a symbol of courage, stability and all noble things. At midnight you can look around you to see the doors and windows of houses and apartments being thrown open to let out the old year. If you are lucky enough to be invited inside the home of a Thai-Chinese family, you may notice the living room will be filled with flowers, plates of oranges and trays of dried sweet fruit to be offered to visitors.
Is your Bangkok condo, apartment or hotel in the thick of the celebrations or will you be travelling to participate? Tell us in the comment section below!
