Chinese New Year

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. Visitors to Thailand during Chinese New Year can expect to hear plenty of firecrackers going off. You will also notice that many Thai people wear red and hand out ang pao (red money packets).

Expect hotels and cities to be crowed, and fun. Officially it is one day, but most areas celebrate for 1-2 weeks. When we lived in Malaysia, most companies were closed to two weeks.

Chinese New Year parades and street festivals take place in several areas of Thailand. Some of the most colorful events take place in Ayutthaya, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Sawan, Phuket, Trang and Udon Thani.