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Koh Samui Festivals |
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Chak Phra Festival |
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 Surat Thani celebrates the official end of the annual 3-month Buddhist Rains Retreat (Ok Phansa) in mid-October with the Chak Phra Festival (literally 'the procession of hauling the Buddha image). The tradition stems from the belief that the Buddha ascended to Heaven during Phansa to preach to his mother. The festival marks the Buddha's return to Earth, and is an occasion for religious merit-making and general celebrations. Local people organise dazzling land and waterborne processions of revered Buddha images (to symbolise the Buddha's return to Earth) and boat races on the Tapi River where long boats, manned by up to 50 oarsmen, are ebulliently raced. Religious devotion, spectacle and merriment combine to make Surat Thani's Chak Phra Festival a memorable annual event.
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Rambutan Fair |
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The annual August fair celebrates the delicious fruit, first planted in Surat Thani during 1926. Highlights include floats adorned with rambutans and other fruits, exhibitions of local products and ornamental plants, and demonstrations by specially trained monkeys who harvest coconuts. |
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Full Moon Party |
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Once a month at Haad Rin Beach, Koh Pha Ngan. 10,000 or more people make it a party to remember along the one-kilometre sandy beach.
People party from dusk till dawn and even onto the next day. Thai and western DJ's play sounds to cater for all party goers tastes from Hip-Hop, House, Trance, Garage and Jungle. International visitors and Thai celebrate this world famous event together. |
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Songkran (Thai New Year) |
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 The Songkran is the most exuberant nationwide festival in the Thai calender. It is a public holiday that is held over three days from the 13th-15th April, and marks the start of the Buddhist New Year.
Songkran has evolved over the centuries from a purely religious event where Buddha images were bathed in water to purify them, into a bigger celebration of water. Today everybody gets wet as buckets of water are thrown over everyone on the streets Songkrans originals customs are still maintained, where younger Thais pay there respects to monks and their elders by sprinkling their hands with scented water. |
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Loi Krathong |
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 This traditional custom has been celebrated nationwide for centuries. It is claimed that this historic ceremony has its origin in the 13th Century during the Sukhothai period. It is celebrated during the night of the full moon on the 12 lunar month of every year (normally November). On this night all Thais go to rivers and waterways to float a Krathong in order to say thank you for the life-giving water.
Loy means float and Krathong is the name of a small artistic boat made from banana leaves and flowers. Each Krathong contains a candle and incense. After lighting the candle and incense send your Krathong off into the night. Thais believe that if the candle's still burning as the Krathong floats away, this will bring you good luck in the coming year. |
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Koh Samui Music Festival |
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|  Reinforcing the festival's reputation as Asia's biggest live music event, KSMF 2005 will include a wide and varied mix of musicians and musical genres that made KSMF 2004 such a resounding hit ? and organisers can confirm high profile international headline acts, UB40, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Wailers, Jools Holland and The Blues Brothers will be featuring in this year's festival.
Including the world's finest blues performers (promoted by The John Lee Hooker Tribute); tropical big bands; world music; as well as some of Thailand's leading performers, KSMF 2005 promises to be the ultimate in musical experiences. With world class music and spectacular outdoor theatre, puppet shows and shadow theatre from around the world, beach theatre and dramatic balloon performances ? KSMF 2005 will be a ten day event that promises to keep the whole island rocking. For performance schedule and tickets, visit www.kohsamuimusicfestival.com |
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