Chiang Mai Culture Travel Guide

Jump to: Chiang Mai Culture Galleries

In Chiang Mai you'll find a merry melange of cultures that include the hill tribe people, Burmese, Chinese, and other ethnic groups such as the Mons and the Tais. Some Muslims and a dash of Europeans and you have a multicultural pie that defies description. There's an amazing tolerance and happy co-existence which you could attribute to the Buddhist religion or the natural bonhomie of the Thai people. [more]

Can't find what you are looking for? Tell our Chiang Mai experts in what you are interested in and we will add it to our Chiang Mai Culture.

Experience Chiang Mai's favorite sights as others see them. Let our visual picture tour of Chiang Mai help you choose the best places to visit in Chiang Mai:

Buddhism is an inextricable part of the Thai culture and to know one is to understand the other. Concepts such as karma may be just smart speak for you and I, but for the Thais, it is a factual way of life. Buddhist tenets influence daily routine, social interactions, and even work. You'll find a docility which is not weak; an acceptance that is not a compromise; an inner strength that belies their slight frames. When you interact with the Thais, you are interacting with seven hundred years worth of tradition. This is in spite of the modern facades that fit snugly over the conventional norms and behaviour.

Special Events/ Festivals

The Thai calendar is replete with occasions to celebrate, and all are welcome to join in the exuberance. While the gaiety of New Year is still in the air, get ready for more at the Bosang Umbrella Fair & Sankampaeng Handicrafts Festival. It's not just about umbrellas, extraordinary as they are; it's about all things paper and the incredible creations crafted out of it. The Flower Festival in February has to be seen to be believed. Everything is bedecked in flowers, and you will be too, I fear, if you were to stand still for a moment. There's a beauty contest, in case you're interested whether as participant or spectator.

If you are a really, really lucky person, you'll be here in time for the Thai New Year Songkran Festival that falls in April. Have the time of your life engaging in friendly water fights and cheerful parades. The religious part of it comprises the procession of a Buddha image along the streets and you get to sprinkle water at it, respectfully of course. In August you get to see the Queen's Birthday Celebrations, when the whole country is lighted up and decorated in honour of Her Majesty. Chiang Mai celebrates an Art & Cultural Festival in April and if you have any interest in the topic that would be the time for you to visit.

The Loi Kratong & Candle Festival will enchant you. The entire city is all lit up and celebrating, with folk dances and fireworks that reflect the spirits of this happy people. You get to make banana leaf floats decked with candles and flowers which you then float on the waters of the Ping. This is how you worship the goddess of the water and thank her for this life-giving resource and beg forgiveness for polluting it. How awesome is that! Be there on the full moon night in November on the banks of the Ping River as the floats go gently by. I certainly plan to be.