There are many festivals in Thai culture. They recognize their Chinese, Thai, Buddhist, Hindu and Muslim roots. There are pagan and political overtones. They love to celebrate all this creatively.

Loi Krathong is the Lantern festival where the celebrate the full moon in November. The activities include launching burning kites into the air and floating homemade decorated rafts in the lake. The small rafts are decorated with incense, flowers, palm leaves. Launching the rafts and kites are done at night so it is very dramatic. They also celebrate Chinese new year, Thai new year and European new year. Thai new year is called Songkran and it is celebrated with water "fights". They throw water balloons, pour buckets of water on motorbikes as you pass, spray water in every direction. It's madness and it's fun. I believe the water aspect was originally intended as purification. Outsiders turned it into this game.