Chinese New Year
Thai people welcome any excuse to celebrate and have sanuk, so why not have 3 New Year celebrations; the western New Year in January, the Chinese New Year in February/March and the Thai New Year (Songkran) in April.
Although it’s never been an official holiday in Thailand, Chinese New Year is celebrated throughout the country and not just by those who can claim Chinese heritage. Some restaurants and businesses in certain areas (such as Bangkok’s Chinatown) may close, but elsewhere it will be business as usual. However, there will be plenty of firecrackers going off in the next few days and many Thai people will be wearing red shirts and handing out ang pao (red money packets).
An estimated 14% of Thailand’s 65 million population are of Chinese descent, a result of a long history of Chinese immigration into Thailand. In the fourteenth century, Chinese merchants were prominent in the state of Ayutthaya before becoming established in Bangkok. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Chinese workers were encouraged to come to the kingdom to supplement the native workforce. More recent Thai history has seen a clampdown on immigration from China, but the Chinese influence remains strong in certain areas of Thailand. Wats will be busy up and down the country in the next few days as people make merit and wish for good luck in the forthcoming Year of the Rat.
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