| Chiang
Mai New Year Festival |
Schedule
: 11-15 April 2002
Venue
: All over Chiang Mai city, Chiang Mai
Origin
:
The Songkran Festival has been celebrated by Thais since
ancient times. Chiang Mai has preserved this tradition and
promotes it as the New Year's Day of Chiang 
Mai
by retaining the lovely traditions of the province until
the event is now very popular among Thai and foreign tourists.
Activities
:
- Merit making and bathing Buddha images.
- Lanna cultural shows and folk plays.
- Paying respect to elders.
- Morning market, carrying sand into temples and making
sand pagodas.
- Road of locals, Miss Songkran pageant and Miss Songkran
procession.
- Songkran water throwing.
| Nearby
Tourist Spots : |
| -
Wat Chiang Man (Muang) |
| |
is
the oldest city temple and it houses Phra Setangkhamani
or Phra Kaeo Khao, an important Buddha image of the
province. |
| -
Doi Suthep-Pui National Park (Muang) |
| |
is
the watershed of several waterways. It has verdant natural
beauty and sacred and important religious and historical
sites. |
| -
Chiang Mai Cultural Center (Muang) |
| |
is
on Chiang Mai-Hang Dong road. It is the center of Lanna
culture and arts. The compound has teak buildings with
beautifully carved wooden doors and windows. |
| -
Sao Inthakhin (Muang) |
| |
is
the city pillar when King Mengrai the Great built Chiang
Mai in 1296. |
| -
Villages in the Handicrafts Villages Development Project
(Hang Dong) |
| |
comprise
the villages of Muang Kung and Kuan Han Kaeo that are
famous for earthenware, Roi Chan that is famous for
weaving lids in the Am pattern and Thawai that is renowned
for making imitation antiques. |
| For
more information, contact : |
| -
Chiang Mai Municipality. |
| |
Tel.
(053) 252478 |
| -
TAT Northern Region Office: Area 1 (Chiang Mai). |
| |
Tel.
(053) 248604, 248607, 241466, fax (053) 248605 |
