Three Off Beat Thailand Festivals.

[google1][pinit count=”vertical” url=”http://www.beersandbeans.com” float=”right”]

Thailand has been on our must see list for about 4 years now but every single year something happens that prevents us from getting there. This year was no exception. But as summer rolls on I start dreaming of rip mangoes, friendly elephants & to-die-for water views.

Once again, my itchy feet had me researching all things Thailand.

It seems like a rite of passage for travel bloggers – everyone at some point goes to live there, has a fantastic time and gets a lot of work done in the process. It’s inexpensive and makes the perfect base for poor travel bloggers like us that need to work on long standing projects.

In my head, I imagine it will be like how Paris was in the 20’s or 30’s – plenty of fellow artists, travelers & bloggers working together towards a common yet individual goal. Everyone descending upon this one place in time that is beautiful, inexpensive and inspiring. Ok, maybe they didn’t have bloggers in the 20’s…but for a long time I have longed to be surrounded by artists and like minded folks. Bloggers are artists of the modern day and Thailand is cheap – win/win.

Is it wrong that I daydream about simply having a small apartment with a comfy bed, desk & wifi in a location that I can afford instead of big sandy beaches and exciting nightlife? Probably. But as a full time travel blogger this is what I dream about every day. I have so many photo projects I want to work on and to do that I need to be stable for a few months and in a place where I can afford to let emails from advertisers go unanswered. Plus, Thailand also has big sandy beaches and exciting nightlife. How can I go wrong?

With 2012 already booked up, we’ve set our sights on 2013 being the year we make this travel blogging dream a reality. During my research I’ve found three unique festivals that I don’t want to miss. All we need to do now is find some cheap flights to Thailand and we are good to go!

1. Monkey Buffet Festival

No, it’s not a buffet of monkeys – it’s a Buffet for Monkeys! Yep, what started about 20 years ago as a thank you to the animals for all the tourism they bring to the region has now turned into a National tradition at Pra Prang Sam Yot temple in Lopburi. This year it takes place on November 25th. Buffet tables are set out for the monkeys filled with fruits, veggies and apparently anything else the monkeys like – even Coke! I’m not too keen on monkeys or people drinking Coke but I still would love to see this festival. The monkeys have the time of their lives eating fresh fruits & veggies (and other sweets they really shouldn’t eat) and hopping from buffet table to buffet table. I think it’s really nice that the people of Thailand take time to thank their animal friends and provide plenty of fresh food for them on this special day. It’s very unique and something I would love to witness.

2. Magical Tattoo Festival

In Thailand, tattoos are not usually done as decoration. Instead many Thai’s believe that tattoos will give them special powers – making them more attractive to the opposite sex or even making them invincible. As such, the tattoo needs to be treated with respect and each year the devoted followers of Luang Phor Boon return to the Wat Bang Phra Temple in Nakhon Chaisi to have their tattoos ‘recharged’. Often times the tattoo is of an animal such as a tiger, monkey or a snake. What makes this festival so unique is that after the tattooed men have paid their respects to the temple, they sit, meditate and turn into the animal tattooed on their body. If someone has a snake tattoo they will start hissing and crawling around the ground, if they are a tiger they will begin roaring and clawing all around them. Monkeys will start jumping around and acting like, you guessed it, a monkey. At times these magically tattooed animal people will charge at the temple, only to be subdued by volunteers who are there specifically for that reason. How do they subdue them you ask? Just as they would that type of animal – grabbing their feet, ears, whatever it would take to calm the animal. Apparently this festival is very serious, no giggling, laughing or eating corn dogs here. It’s a spiritual festival not seen by many outsiders. At times, when a large group of animal/people charge the temple it can be downright scary. The mixture of animal spiritualism & magical tattoos makes this festival (which takes place on a Saturday in early March) a can’t miss in my book.

3. The Phuket Vegetarian Festival

Ouch! Photo by Electrostatico via Flickr.

This year the festival takes place from September 26 – October 5th. The dates are chosen because they are the first 9 days out of the 9th lunar month in the year. It’s a Chinese Buddhist festival dedicated to not only being free of any animal based food or products but also to clearing your mind and body of negative thoughts. (I’ve got the vegetarian angle covered but I could definitely use some help with the negative thoughts.) Sadly, the participants will also avoid vices like swearing, gambling, smoking, alcohol, sex, telling lies & garlic. The participants will also be wearing all white.

Just when I started to take this one off the list due to the very boring rules attached to it (No garlic! What?!) I read about the final day of the festival. Body Modification. Hmm… So it’s bad to drink and have sex but perfectly OK to perform acts of body modification and injury to show your faith. I have always been curious about body modification festivals and fire walking (which also occurs) and when done under the guise of faith I simply can’t refuse.

Of course, I’ll take Tanqueray & sex (toss in some garlic and a lie or two for good measure) any day over piercing my skin with large, sharp objects but who am I to judge? I am a vegetarian that is fascinated by faith and how it is reflected in other cultures so all I need look up some Phuket flights and this festival is a no-brainer for me.

*Get the first glimpse of our new travel photos & posts! Subscribe by email and get new travel articles delivered straight to your inbox:

Or add us to your favorite feed reader by clicking the orange icon!

*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website, Nariko’ s Nest Weddings & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first because I do love to share and I would be flattered. Thanks!