(PRD)- Thai
people have a five-day public holiday from 31 December 2014 to 4
January 2015 on the occasion of this festive New Year celebration.
The long
holiday during the New Year celebration is expected to help stimulate
tourism growth in the country.
The Government
has opened a new bicycle lane around Rattanakosin Island in the heart of
Bangkok as a New Year gift for the people. The project aims to
promote safe cycling, reduce air pollution, encourage people to cycle for
exercise, and boost the campaign for cultural and environmentally friendly
tourism.
It is
expected to make the area around Rattanakosin Island more beautiful.
Rattanakosin Island is truly the center of Bangkok’s precious historical
heritage. Attractions in the area represent the long history of Bangkok as the
capital city of Thailand.
The
bicycle lane project around Rattanakosin Island is divided into two phases. The
first phase, which was carried out in 2014, involves 12 routes covering eight
kilometers. The second phase, to be carried out in 2015, covers five routes
with a total length of 10 kilometers.
Like
people elsewhere, Thais celebrate the New Year festival each year with many
joyous activities. With the long holiday, many of them will have more time to
travel and spend with their families. Apart from exchanging gifts and greeting
cards, as part of the New Year celebration, Thais still maintain their style of
traditional celebrations for the New Year. During this festive season, they
usually visit their relatives, especially the elderly, to show gratitude and
respect.
Because
the New Year celebration is a period when a great number of people are on the
road, the Government launches a campaign for road safety during this period
each year in order to reduce road accidents. Travelers have been urged to
drive carefully for their safety and the safety of others.
The New
Year festive season is one of the best times for joyous activities in the midst
of pleasant and cool weather in Thailand. For Buddhists, this is a season when
many of them take the opportunity to make merit by giving alms to monks,
releasing birds, fish, and other animals, donating cash and goods to the poor
and disadvantaged people, and visiting temples to pay homage to Buddha images
and pay respect to monks.
All over
the world, people have widely different beliefs and customs related to the New
Year. As a matter of fact, not all countries have their traditional New
Year celebrations on the same day. In Thailand, 13 April is observed as
traditional Thai New Year’s Day, known as Songkran.
Thailand
adopted the Western New Year date of 1 January in 1941 during the reign of King
Ananda Mahidol, Rama VIII. People here, in Thailand, wish one another happiness
on this special occasion.
(thailand.prd.go.th)