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Thailand People & Culture Overview
Home » Thailand » Thailand People & Culture » Thailand People & Culture OverviewApproximately seventy-five percent of Thais in Thailand are ethnically Thai. The rest are divided between ethnic Chinese, Hill tribes in the North and Malay in the South. There are some Laotians in the Northeast as well. The Chinese are the largest minority. Many have been in Thailand for three generations. The older members of the families still speak Chinese. There are Chinese temples, restaurants and many, many businesses run by Chinese families. Chinese New Year and the Vegetarian Festival in late September or early October are celebrated by many. For all of Thailand, the King’s Birthday in December 5th and the Queen’s Birthday on August 12th are very special holidays. The Thai New Year (Songkran) is a three day “water-fight” (literally!) that is held in April. It is lots of fun to play with water guns and water hoses in the middle of the hot Thai summer. Songkran is a Buddhist holiday as well, as the Buddha images are washed with holy water. Other important Buddhist holidays include the beginning of Buddhist lent in July, Loi Krathong in November, which is celebrated by making small boats out of bananas leaves and candles.
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