Thai New Year

*****Thai New Year*****
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



The Thai New Year (Thai: สงกรานต์ Songkran) is celebrated every year on 13 April to 15 April. It is also celebrated in Laos (called Songkan in Lao), Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma where it is called Thingyan), and by ethnic Dai in Yunnan, China. Sri Lanka also celebrates a similar festival called Sinhalese and Tamil New Year on the same dates.

The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed . If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off will be taken on the days immediately following (But Sri Lanka still uses an astrological calculation to set the dates and times based on the sun's positional change and those dates and times are used to start the festival events). Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter 1 April was used until 1940. 1 January is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.

New year traditions

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. People roam the streets with bowls of water, water guns or even a garden hose, and drench each other and passersby. This, however, is not the heart of this festival. Not many people, even the new generation of Thais, realize that Thai ancestors started this festival to teach their descendants some important things. This festival teaches people to come home to visit their parents, pay respect to them, and usually bring them a small gift. Mother and Father have given to their children so much, and this is the time that children show them that they recognize their parents' favor. People also visit their older neighbors to keep the good relationships and to pay respect to the elders around the neighborhood. For these reasons Songkran days are also considered the family days and the elderly days.

People go to a wat to pray and give food to monks. They also clean Buddha images in temples with water and gentle Thai perfume (น้ำอบไทย), as it is believed that this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha statues from all of the wats in the city are paraded through the streets so that people can wash them as they pass by. People carry handfuls of sand to their temple to in order to recompense the dirt that they carry away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then piled into large, tiered piles and decorated with colorful flags. Later in the day, people also do community services. Going to wat and doing community service teach people to give, the most basic way to happiness in Buddhism.

Some people make New Year resolutions - to refrain from bad behaviour and to do more good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Many Thais take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.

The throwing water part was originated as a way to pay respect to people, by pouring a small amount of lustral water on other people’s hands as a sign of respect. The youths also do it in a more fun way. They splash others with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has changed to water fights and splashing water to people on vehicles, a hallmark of Songkran as tourists know, as Thais assimilate more western cultures and technologies.
The use of plaster is also very common having originated in the plaster used by monks to mark blessings
The use of plaster is also very common having originated in the plaster used by monks to mark blessings

Nowadays, the emphasis is placed on fun and water-throwing rather than on the festival's spiritual and religious aspects, which sometimes prompts complaints from traditionalists. In recent years there have been calls to moderate the festival as there are many road accidents and injuries attributed to some extreme behavior - water being thrown in the faces of travelling motorcyclists and elephant riding elders.

Valentine's Day - Get free your own "LOVE" Screen Saver

Valentine’s day in Thailand, Thai people don’t know much about the history of St.Valentine, they (including me), know only that Valentine’s day is the day of LOVE, which we would like to express to our special one. Most of us like to send the flower, chocolate, and the heart sticker. On February 14, the one who go back home without flower, or even small heart sticker stick onto the shirt collar, they will feel a little bit ashamed, it’s significant that no one loves him.


When I was studying at the international university, there was one activity on the valentine’s day, i.e. flower delivery directly to the classroom.

In the classroom, when there was the flower man directly to the class, all the girls’ heart would beat strongly, they would pray for hearing the name of the flower were theirs. … But failed, for the whole 4 years of studying, no one dare to send the flower to me.

Anyway, I still love FEBRUARY, as it is my birth month, and love month.

For Valentine's season, you can get free "LOVE" Screen Saver with your own pictures. Please visit http://www.thaiprompt.com


For more information, I herewith paste the history of the Valentine's Day.

The history of the Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

Special thanks to History.com

Children’s Day in Thailand

Thailand children’s day is on the second Saturday of January.

It’s on 13th January this year. There will be a lot of activities here. The places where normally are not allowed for public, will be allowed for the children and their families on that day; i.e., a tank, a battleship, a jet plane, etc.

At school, there will be the sponsors supported some snack, ice cream, and stationery for the children. Make the children smile.


This Saturday, I hope nothing makes them cry.

Bangkok Countdown 2007

Wherever you might be around Thailand this festive season, each of the regions promise exciting and colorful experiences.

This year, the highlights of Bangkok countdown parties include concerts and live performances by Thailand’s top artists, actors and
performers.

The event will be broadcasted live via Thai TV Channel.

Listen to the Bangkok Countdown 2007’s sound clip via http://www.thaiprompt.com


The above message was typed on 31.12.2006 in the morning, as I know that Bangkok Countdown party can let you all enjoy as described.

But it’s so sad, there was no any public new year parties, and no Bangkok countdown, because of the bad news as you may see on the newspaper head line.

We have no joyful countdown sound clip to present, but I would like to recommend the emergency and very useful Thai words to you instead.

Please visit, http://www.thaiprompt.com

Happy New Year – Free 2007 Calendar!

We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

In the morning of 21st December, I went to the fresh market to buy some ingredient to cook. I passed one tape cassette shop opened the song Jingle bell,Jingle bell, Jingle all the ways. Oh what fun it is to ride. In a one-horse open sleigh. ^O^

It made me smile, and happy all the day.

Every new year season, when I went to the department store, they will be well decorated and open the happy new year song. So warm and lovely.
While I was smiling, I thought …

If I open the Thai happy new year song in my website, it will make anyone smile and happy or not.

Please visit to listen to Thai original song, http://www.thaiprompt.com

Moreover, I also have a new year gifts for all of you. There are 2 designed new year calendars.

Learn Thai Language with Thai prompter.

Thai Prompter is your companion when traveling to or stay in Thailand. Learn how to speak Thai Language. Easily download our sound clips into your mobile devices.

There are several categories, such as number, date/time, Thai food and dessert (with pictures), shopping, asking for direction, etc.

Why do we develop Thai prompter website ?

On about mid July 2006, my brother and his families went to shopping in Hong Kong. He told me that as he didn’t learn Chinese Language, and people there some could not speak English, so the communication occurred very difficult.

When he would like to order some dishes, his two hands and ten fingers tried to explain the food he would like to. But failed.

Then he solved this problem by taking the photos of the desired dishes, and show the said photos to order. Great, it’s done.
After heard that, we all laughed, but I thought…. “When I have a trip, I would like to be happy and relax, I don’t want to get upset with this problem. But no one can speak all the languages over the worlds.” ….
H O W t o S O L V E?

I’m expert in Thai language (my national language).
I can speak English and Chinese.
I can create my own website.
. . . . . . . .

So, I decide to develop my own one, http://www.thaiprompt.com
It is only one language in the world. It helps only the ones who know English and
Chinese. It is suitable only for the tourists who are interested in Thailand. It’s only a small spot in solving the said above communication problem.

But I am proud to present, and hope to make you full in Thailand.

Before traveling to Thailand, please do not forget to make a little bit preparation by learning some necessary Thai words from our sound clip on my website.

Why I have to learn Thai, I don’t know Thailand. Where is it ?

The kingdom of Thailand (Land of Smiles)lies in the heart of Southeast Asia, making it a natural gateway to Indochina, Myanmar and Southern China. Its shape and geography divide into four natural regions : the mountains and forests of the North; the vast rice fields of the Central Plains; the semi-arid farm lands of the Northeast plateau; and the tropical islands and long coastline of the peninsula South.

For More details, please click http://www.tourismthailand.org/about/aboutthailand.aspx ,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand