Thai National Holidays
A list of the national work holidays is given below. However, the exact day of the year of some of these will vary, as noted. The ones affected are those based on the lunar calendar, rather than the 365-day solar calendar. Lunar calendar events usually come on a full moon.
Before Thailand (and many western civilizations) switched to the solar 365-day calendar, a lunar calendar was used, whereby one month, or moonth, was 29 or 30 days, e.g., full moon to full moon (29.5 days). Since a solar year is not exactly 12 moonths, there is a shift from year to year between the lunar and solar calendar dates. Notably, the Thai lunar holidays that are in common with Chinese holidays and the holidays of other past lunar calendar cultures may not coincide with each other on the same date, because there are variations in the different implementations of the ancient lunar calendars.
National Workday Holidays 2007
Traditional |
Workday |
Name |
Brief description |
January 1 |
Mon 1 |
New Year's Day |
. |
March 3, 2007 |
Sat 3 |
Magha Puja Day |
Commemorates when 1,250 of Buddha's disciples spontaneously gathered to hear the Buddha preach. Merit-making ceremonies at temples, candlelight processions at night. |
April 6 |
Fri 6 |
Chakri Day |
Commemorates the founding of the current royal lineage in 1782 |
April 13+, |
Fri 13 |
Songkran |
Thai Buddhist New Year, usually a longer holiday than the official one day. Most known to farangs by the fun-loving water-throwing on each other in the streets. |
May 1 |
Tue 1 |
Labor Day |
|
May 5 |
Sat 5 |
Coronation Day |
The anniversary of the King's coronation. |
May 31, 2007 |
Thu 31 |
Visakha Puja Day |
Commemorates the birth, Enlightenment and death of the Buddha. |
July 1 |
Sun 1 |
mid-year accounting |
mid-year closing day |
July 30, 2007 |
Mon 30 |
Asalha Puja Day |
Commemorates the Buddha's first sermon to his first five disciples. |
July 30, 2007 |
Mon 30 |
Khao Phansaa |
The start of a 3 month period of the rainy season when monks stay inside the wats, and the preferred day for young men to enter the monkhood or their traditional short period as a monk. |
August 12 |
Sun 12 |
HM the Queen's Birthday |
National Mother's Day in Thailand coincides with the birthday of Queen Sirikit |
October 23 |
Tue 23 |
Chulalongkorn Day |
Commemorates the death of King Chulalongkorn (1868-1910), the most revered past king. |
December 5 |
Wed 5 |
HM the King's Birthday |
National Father's Day in Thailand coincides with the birthday of King Bhumibol |
December 10 |
Mon 10 |
Constitution Day |
|
December 31 |
Mon 31 |
New Years Eve |
Good luck getting anything done on New Years Eve, though many companies have staff come in. |