Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, 6 July, 2014 –
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) is inviting visitors to this
UNESCO World Heritage Site province to participate in a unique festival
celebrating the historic bonds between the Thai people and the many
rivers and canals that have shaped their lives through the centuries.
The 6th Aquatic Phansa Festival at Khlong Lat Chado will take place on Friday, 11 July, 2014
in Phak Hai district, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province. Visitors will
be able to experience the local people’s way of life alongside the
canal, fishing, farming and many other activities.
Also on the programme
is the beautiful candle floating procession, a competition to award the
best decorated riverside home, Lat Chado local sports games, Lat Chado
people’s way of life photography exhibition, and a re-creation of the
floating market as it used to be in the old days.
The Aquatic Phansa
Festival takes place annually to mark the start of the Buddhist Lent
(Khao Phansa) which this year will fall on 12 July.
This year’s opening ceremony will take place in front of the Lat Chado
Market. After the boat procession, visitors can watch various
performances.
While elsewhere in
Thailand, Buddhists take part in processions to carry candles to their
local temples, these are all on land. Lat Chado decided to do things
differently. In a tribute to their way of the water-based way of life,
the locals gather in a large flotilla of boats to take the candles to
the temple.
Mr. Kreangsak
Pimpandee, Mayor of Lat Chado Municipality said “We would like to invite
all those who are interested to see this unique festival, enjoy the
Thai tradition, recall the glory of the old days and the value of this
community.”
Mr. Pramoth Supyen,
Director of the TAT Ayutthaya Office, said, “This is a really good
example of “Thainess,” a unique opportunity to enjoy the simplicity and
happiness of traditional community life. We are expecting a large
turnout due to the publicity we have given it through multiple channels.
“Many Thai and foreign
tourists visit the Lat Chado Market annually during the Asalha Puja
Day. After the day’s programme of activities, visitors can also pay
homage to a Buddha image in Ayutthaya province on the same day.”
Marking the full moon
of the 8th lunar month, Asalha Puja is one of Buddhism’s most important
festivals, commemorating the Buddha’s first sermon in which he set into
motion the wheel of “dharma,” a core teaching of Buddhist philosophy.
Lat Chado is about 110
km north of Bangkok. Named after the Great Snakehead fish (Pla Chado)
which once thrived in the canal, the Lat Chado riverside market was one
of many hundreds that existed all around Thailand, as hubs of commerce
and social interaction.
When the era of
mechanised road transport dawned, the importance of the Lat Chado Market
declined. However, the area still has more than 100-year-old wooden
shophouses which are often used as backdrops in Thai TV movies and
feature films.
Since its launch, the
Aquatic Phansa Festival has helped the revival of the Lat Chado Market,
and boosted its popularity among domestic tourists over the weekends. A
museum set up in one of the old shophouses tells the story of the
community via exhibits of pictures, artefacts and tools used by local
farmers and fishermen.
Visitors will also
enjoy many of the local culinary delicacies, get a chance to buy
souvenirs and handicrafts and take a relaxing canal cruise by riverboat.
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