THE TAVERN
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Songkran
When: 4th Cycle Full Moon (Around April 14th)
Duration: Three days with celebrations up to one week
depending on the area.
The Songkran festival is the traditional Thai New Year. In days of yore it was celebrated by anointing friends and family with a small splash of water and a fingertip of white powder to bestow luck. It has since degenerated into a full scale water war with buckets of water (sometimes icy cold) and a handful of powder in the face. (Tip: Be careful you don't get water or powder in your eyes. More than a few people have ended up in the ER with irritated eyes.) In most of the outer provinces, if you signal to the revelers that you do not want to get wet, they will oblige. Not so the cities including Pattaya, Bangkok and Chiang Mia and everyone is considered fair game.
Do not venture out on the streets unless you are prepared to get wet. That includes packing up your phone, wallet, etc in a waterproof baggie. HOWEVER, if you are in the mood to party and prepared for the soaking, Songkran is a blast and will be remembered long after the party is over.
During the Songkran holiday, most people leave Bangkok to visit family in the provinces. Pretty much all businesses and offices are closed for three or four days and the traffic in Bangkok is non-existent, almost to the point of being a ghost town. Restaurants and bars stay open along with money exchanges in the tourist areas. Most bars and restaurants do not allow throwing water inside
The Tavern is dry and safe, and anyone caught throwing water inside the bar
qualifies for immediate ejection (probably by the customers themselves!) Our
outside table is the perfect place to get wet and when ready, come inside
and warm yourself by the barbecue. With our large windows out in the front,
The Tavern is the perfect place to watch the revelry in dry comfort with a
bite to eat and an icy cold beer!
Loy Kratong
When: 11th Cycle Full Moon (Around November 13th)
Duration: Three days with the first day being the biggest
The Loy Kratong festival occurs every year on a date according to the 11th lunar cycle. It is the one of the largest festivals of the year although typically is not a government holiday and traffic tends to be much heavier on the main day. (Tip: Avoid traveling in Bangkok by car during that day.) The holiday is marked by the floating of "kratongs" at nighttime. A kratong is a small boat usually made of a circular cutting of a banana tree trunk about two or three inches thick which contains a candle, flowers and a coin. In addition, a piece of ones person is added, usually a fingernail cutting and a lock of hair. These are floated upon the waterways of Thailand which can be a river, a klong, a lake or even a pool. When you launch the kratong, as it floats away, so do your troubles, bad luck and previous bad deeds. It is symbolic of a renewal of life and luck.
The women of Thailand will rent special traditional dresses and make up their face and hair. It is quite a sight to see, and it is recommended that you go out for at least an hour or two at night to various entertainment venues to observe the tradition. If want to really experience Loy Kratong, buy a boat with your sweetheart and find somewhere romantic to launch it. I'm sure your luck will change........at least for the night!