Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่) is the hub of Northern Thailand. With a population of over 250,000, it is Thailand's second largest city. Located on a plain at an elevation of 316 m, surrounded by mountains and lush countryside, it is much greener and quieter than the capital, and has a cosmopolitan air and a significant expat population, factors which have led many from Bangkok to settle permanently in this "Rose of the North".
Founded in 1296 AD, the culturally rich city of Chiang Mai is the longest continuously inhabited settlement from the ancient days of Siam. Located amidst the rolling foot hills of the Himalayan Mountains 700 km north of Bangkok, it could only be reached by an arduous river journey or an elephant back trip until the 1920s, isolation which has helped keep Chiang Mai's distinctive charm intact to this day.
The old city of Chiang Mai with its fascinating indigenous cultural identity such as diverse dialects, cuisine, architecture, traditional values, festivals, handicrafts and classical dances is a prime location in its own right. In addition, the presence of hill tribes and their wealth of unique cultures enhance Chiang Mai's distinctive diversity.
Experiencing the merging of the past into the present in Chiang Mai where locals are proud of the city's 700-year history. Chiang Mai is one of the few places in Thailand where it is possible to find in the heart of the city centuries-old chedis and temples next to modern convenience stores and boutique hotels. Inside Chiang Mai's remaining city walls are more than 30 temples dating back to the founding of the principality, in a combination of Burmese, Sri Lankan and Lanna Thai styles, decorated with beautiful wood carvings, Naga staircases, leonine and angelic guardians, gilded umbrellas and pagodas laced with gold leaves. The most famous is Doi Suthep temple, which overlooks the city from a mountainside 13 km away. The locals say you've not experienced Chiang Mai until you've seen the view from Doi Suthep. Today, Chiang Mai’s diversity among ethnic tribes coupled with breathtaking scenery makes Chiang Mai one of Asia's most attractive tourist destinations.
Chiang Mai is also blessed with natural resources of mountains, waterfalls, and other nature-based tourist attractions. At the same time, Chiang Mai residents are warm, gracious and providing authentic hospitality making visits memorable and meaningful. Moreover, visitors can collect handicrafts of silk, silver and wood produced locally as timeless souvenirs. Chiang Mai is a place where both backpackers and luxury tourists can enjoy themselves to the fullest.
Major festival of the year
Due to its great value in cultural and tradition heritage, tourists from all over the world visit Chiang Mai to witness, enjoy, experience and participate in many festivals and ceremonies such as FLOWER FESTIVAL, SONGKRAN FESTIVAL, LOYKRATHONG FESTIVAL and YEE PENG FESTIVAL to name a few.
January
Bosang Umbralla Festival: At Bosang village there are parades and displays of typical village life and local handicrafts.
Wood Carving Fair: At Ban Thawai Village in Hang Dong District. There are parades, ceremonies and wood carving exhibitions.
February
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Flower Carnival: The first Saturday and Sunday of February every year. Chiang Mai is well known for its temperate zone flower plants and at its best during this cool month. There are colorful parades on Saturday morning and flower exhibitions. Spectacular floral floats are a memorable sight of this annual event.
April
Songkran Festival: April 13 to 15. Even though January 1st is set as official New Year in Thailand. Thai people still regard Songkran as their traditional Thai New Year. On this happy occasion, celebration is held every where in the kingdom but nowhere with more enthusiasm than in Chiang Mai.
Activities involved on Songkran Day are joyfully splashing water onto each other, merit making ceremonies and building sand pagodas in temples, beautiful Songkran parades on major roads in Chiang Mai and beauty contests.
Early in the morning, people begin this traditional New Year by offering food to Buddhist monks, merit-making, praying to the past ancestors in temples and releasing captured birds or fish.
Later in the morning people pay respects to their elders by pouring lustral water or scented water onto their palms. The elders will give blessing to the youngsters by wishing them good luck and prosperity.
Then the people will go out in the streets pouring water to each other. This can last almost ten days in up country.
This is the most joyful festival of the year. Don’t forget to join and participate Songkran in Chiang Mai. This will be one of the unforgettable memories that you will ever experience.
November
Yi Peng Festival: This is another annual traditional festival to celebrate full moon in Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand. Yi Peng is the term referred by northern Thai as the full moon of the 12th lunar month in Buddhist calendar.
It is celebrated as a religious event and the people make merit and perform religious activities. The high light of this event focuses on the lunching of the Khom Loy or floating lanterns into the bright moonlit-night sky. It is the traditional belief that misfortune and bad luck will fly away with the floating lanterns.
Khom Loy or floating lanterns that are offered to monks and float in the temple is believed that the ones who offered them will receive wisdom and bright future. The flame in the lantern symbolizes knowledge and the light will lead them to the right path of bright future in their lives.
To celebrate this auspicious occasion, people make merit by floating Khom Loy to dispel bad luck and seek good fortune. This will bring joy and happiness to the people as their bad luck has been floated away into the sky. On this occasion we will see thousands of lovely Khom Loy float gently into the sky in the day and at night.
Loy Krathong Festival – The most charming and fascinating festival in Chiang Mai. It usually falls in early November on full moon night, when the weather is fine and the rainy season is over.
This festival is of Brahmin origin when people offer thanks to the Water Goddess. The Krathong will have a candle three joss sticks, colourful flowers for decoration and some coins.
At night people light the candle and joss sticks of their Krathong, make wishes and ask for blessings from Goddess of the water and float their Krathongs on rivers, canals or small ponds. This will be one of the romantic events for the in-loved couples. The belief is that, the Krathong will carry away bad lucks and sins and hope that the wishes that have been made will be fulfilled in the coming year. It is the time of joy and happiness. Some coins that people put on their Krathong is a symbolic way of merit making to the Water Goddess with the hope that they will be blessed with prosperity in the coming year.
We will see thousands of colourful Krathongs on the Ping River and also thousands of lovely lanterns in the sky under the full moon night. This is another unforgettable memory that will be part of our lives.