Happy New Year

GOODBYE 2011 and let's bid a warm welcome to brand new 2012. It's time to put the all the old problems away and greet the new year with new resolutions and plans.

And when it comes to travelling plans, where better to spend your holidays than to take a few days off and spend them in Thailand. Many things are there in store for you from the south right up to the north of the country where you would find festivals and attractions galore.

There is a flower festival in Chiang Mai to complement the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek while in Hat Yai the new year lights up with a Lantern Festival at the Hat Yai Municipal Park. For those desiring something colder, just next door is the Ice Dome specially created by ice carvers flown in from China.

A few months down the road are the Songkran Festival to beckon the Thai New Year and by the middle of the year, we would have our popular Grand Sale.

But before that, we would like to wish all our Chinese friends a Happy Lunar New Year. Head on down to Bangkok Chinatown or Yaowaraj to experience one of the most colourful and exhilarating celebrations. Watch the streets come to life as crowds of worshippers, exploding firecrackers, dragon dancers, and families of Chinese descent gather to partake in the street fanfare as well as enjoy sumptuous Chinese banquets. Spend a full day exploring and watching dragon parades.

This year the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated on January 23 and although not a public holiday in Thailand, members of Bangkok Chinese communities usually take at least one day off from work and engage themselves in various New Year activities.

It has become one of the most exhilarating times filled with dynamic sights and sounds. Shop and home owners of Chinese descent decorate their places with red paper lanterns, Chinese calligraphy banners, and posters. The whole Bangkok Chinatown turns red literally from beginning to end. Street fanfares and cultural festivities, such as the dragon parades, acrobatic dances and firecrackers, are the highlights not to be missed.

Once celebrated amongst Bangkok's Chinese communities, today Chinese New Year is a festival for all. Get into the spirit of Chinese New Year by wearing a red shirt, blouse or dress.

Other provinces where Chinese New Year is celebrated are Nakhon Sawan, Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Suphanburi, home of the biggest Chinese descendents museum in South East Asia, Phuket, Trang, Songkhla and Chiang Mai.