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Festivals in Thailand
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Like many celebrations in Asia, festivals in Thailand are usually determined by the movements of the moon, so happen on different dates every year.
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Festivals in Thailand - Flower festival - February (usually the first weekend) - Chiang Mai
Floats are paraded through the streets, covered in amazing quantities of Fa Mui roses, orchids, African marigolds and chrysanthemums. There's also a Miss Flower pageant.
Festivals in Thailand - Magha Puja - February - countrywide
Lord Buddha is celebrated with beautiful candlelit processions around the temples. |
Festivals in Thailand - Kite fighting - March/April - countrywide
If you've read or seen Kite Runner, you'll have an idea of what happens when the winds get up. In Thailand, kite fighting takes the form of a tug of war, where two teams compete to drag the opposing team's kites over a line. You'll also see some fairly spectacular animals flying through the air.
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Festivals in Thailand - Songkran - April 13 - 15 - countrywide The Buddhist new year is seen in with the biggest water fight you're likely to be involved in. Water pistols, hoses, buckets and anything else that people can lay their hands on are scrambled - being a visitor will not afford much protection! Expect to get particularly wet if you're in Chiang Mai but given that it'll be quite hot, you might appreciate your drenchings.
Festivals in Thailand - Visakha Puja or Visakha Bucha - May - countrywide A day dedicated to Lord Buddha - his birth, his enlightenment and his passing are all remembered through offerings and another of those candlelit processions.
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Festivals in Thailand - Bun Bang Fai - May - mainly Yasothon, also Nong Khai This wonderfully titled festival involves parades, dancing, music and large amounts of gunpowder, which are used to launch homemade crafted rockets into the sky. You might want to take photos from a distance! The aim of Bun Bang Fai is to speed up the arrival of the rains.
Festivals in Thailand - Loy Krathong - November - countrywide, particularly good in Chiang Mai Banana tree boats carrying candles and incense are set afloat when it gets dark, making for very romantic scenes. Fireworks also light up the sky. |
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Festivals in Thailand - Lopburi Monkey Banquet - November - Khmer ruins, Lopburi More than 500 monkeys are ‘invited' to a feast of bananas served in the Khmer ruins. A bit of a tourist trap, but fascinating to see all the same.
Festivals in Thailand - Elephant Round-up - Surin - November Hundred of large Nellies are rounded up and taken to Surin for three days of tug-of-war contests, football matches and parades. They're served a large breakfast of fruit, which they quickly devour.
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If you fancy checking out some of these colourful festivals in Thailand on you gap year, then why not combine you trip with some volunteer work or an adventure experience? See what we have to offer in Thailand.
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Learn the techniques of Muay Thai, discover the culture and language, visit a temple, meditate with Buddhist monks, and lounge on the famous Thai beaches. An excellent, unusual introduction to Thailand, with various project lengths available. |
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Earn some money, help out others and experience three very beautiful countries. Get everything you need to find work in Oz and NZ and discover the real Thailand through volunteer placements, trips – and time on the beach! |
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This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. This 40 hour online TEFL course allows you to learn at your own pace, when and where you like, to fit around your life schedule allowing flexibility and plenty of time for you to gain the most out of the course. |
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This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. A 60 hour online TEFL course that is slightly more comprehensive with an extra 20 hours gaining a specialist certificate in grammar. Learn at your own pace online and gain your TEFL qualification in your own time! |
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This programme is temporarily unavailable. Please contact us for details. A complete and comprehensive 80 hour online TEFL course that includes everything that the 40 and 60 hour courses include with the addition of 20 hours in 4 specialist teaching certificates and a lifetime access to teaching helpdesk. |
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Travel through the USA, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand and India during an unforgettable gap year. Fit in volunteer placements, excursions, paid work opportunities, cultural activities and loads more – but also have time to do your own thing. |
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Dive around Koh Tao, develop your media skills and earn money! You’ll be taught to record, edit and produce DVDs of the dive centre’s customers, and then to sell them to the customers. |
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An excellent opportunity to teach Thai children and contribute to the local communities in a positive way – they’re really keen to learn English as this enhances their future employment opportunities. |
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Experience Thailand through a unique combination of activities. Take a PADI scuba diving certificate, trek through jungle and rainforest, stay in a Buddhist temple - a rare privilege for travellers - and get to grips with the Thai language. |
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Help mahouts (elephant riders) in the ecological centre as they take care of the elephants. Join them for weekly exercise in the national forests of Thailand! |
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Spend the night in a Buddhist temple, take part in a community project or trek through a national park, watch some fire dancing and snorkel off the island of Koh Samet. An unforgettable introduction to Thailand!
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Get involved with innovative and highly successful work to return gibbons to the wild. Study them, help care for them on a daily basis and just enjoy watching them interact against a stunning natural background. |
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Work with the traditional hill tribes of northern Thailand, teaching, building and getting involved with new projects. If you’re patient, compassionate and creative, and interested in new cultures, this is an ideal project. |
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Spread a little happiness through Thai orphanages. Give informal English lessons, work with the children in the garden, run sports and craft sessions and generally show them compassion and enthusiasm. |
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Choose a diving programme to suit you and learn or hone your skills in Thailand’s beautiful blue waters. Take the instructor programme and gain the necessary qualifications to work in a scuba diving centre. |
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Help with the day-to-day care of sick and disabled wild animals. You might be preparing food for bears, crocodiles, big cats or other animals, or assisting with building enclosures. You might even get to go on a night safari! |
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Combine paid work, volunteering and travelling into one fantastic gap year. Everything from flights to job offers is included – that means less hassle, and more chances to get the best out of Africa, Australia and Thailand! |
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Discover why so many travellers love this part of the world! Volunteer in India, spend eight weeks in Thailand and work with the wildlife in Malaysia. You’ll get to see things many people miss. |
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