TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum - Thailands Festivals and Celebrations http://teakdoor.com en Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:55:18 GMT vBulletin 60 http://teakdoor.com/images/td_default/misc/rss.jpg TeakDoor.com - The Thailand Forum - Thailands Festivals and Celebrations http://teakdoor.com Bang Saray - Navy enchanted by immovable stone http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59853-bang-saray-navy-enchanted-immovable-stone.html Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:58:26 GMT *Navy enchanted by immovable stone* _Patcharapol Panrak _A stone that cannot be moved now stands at the center of an annual Royal Thai Navy...
Navy enchanted by immovable stone
Patcharapol Panrak
A stone that cannot be moved now stands at the center of an annual Royal Thai Navy tradition.

Capt. Chatchawal Meesawat and other officials make offerings to an enchanted stone wrapped in satin.

Navy officials Oct. 26 again took up that tradition, setting off 1,000 firecrackers and bringing offerings of food and drink to the shrine built around the stone that legend says houses the soul of Chao Pho Khunthong, a servant of King Chulalongkorn.

The legend holds that many years ago soldiers cutting the grass at the Royal Thai Navy Academy in Bang Saray came across an enchanted tone.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Piya Wongkaew was possessed by the rock’s spirit, which told the men never to move the stone or many Navy lives would be lost.

Stories tell that some officers did not heed the spirit and several attempts were made to move the rock with disastrous results. Eventually the military paid heed and built a shrine around the stone.

Academy Director Capt. Chatchawal Meesawat led this year’s ceremony, which is supposed to bring good luck to the enlisted.

They wrapped satin around the stone, which now bears a red mark and is detailed with small gold leaf, and offered it drink, incense and candles.

In return, the stone’s spirit often foretells a lucky number for the coming year.

For those that believe in talking rocks, take note. This year’s number is 188.


Pattaya Mail News

]]> Thailands Festivals and Celebrations dirtydog http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59853-bang-saray-navy-enchanted-immovable-stone.html Loy Krathong http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59651-loy-krathong.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:49:14 GMT Loy Krathong festival is a lot nicer than Songkran the Thai water festival, partly because it is only 1 evening as opposed to a weeks long endurance... Loy Krathong festival is a lot nicer than Songkran the Thai water festival, partly because it is only 1 evening as opposed to a weeks long endurance test, there are a lot less deaths over Loy Krathong, and you don't get soaked through with dirty disease laden water, so I don't mind Loy Krathong :)

The only dangerous bits i saw was the Thai's laying on the beach whilst setting off rockets, I could just imagine a few sparks going onto their bodies and them panicking and forgetting where they were pointing the rocket.



The cheapest Krathongs were 30baht and most expensive Krathongs I saw were 80baht although I feel sure the Thai's could make a super duper farang one if you asked them nicely, I didn't take a picture of our Krathong as my girlfriend made it, normally she makes nice ones, for some reason the one she made looked like it had been scavenged out of the dustbin.



Some larger Krathongs.



The American hotdog culture seems to be becoming extremely popular in Thailand, hell, even all the 7/11s sell them, of course with hotdogs comes large weight gains, so don't expect to find too many petite Thai ladies in the future, of course the funny bit is they even deep fry the crab sticks, although I doubt there is too much crab in them.



Some healthy Thai food was available, although I just had pork noodle soup, 30baht and pretty tasty.



Deep fried fish balls and other stuff in batter, whatever happened to the more natural things that Thais used to buy to eat.



Dead Krathongs being washed up on the beach, the Thai kids have it well sussed, nick the money or satangs out of the krathong, take the candles out, then hunt down the next krathong with lit candles in.

One year I will have to get to the beach early to see what sort of mess it is left in.



I like these little hot air ballon things, you could tie a mouse up in a little cage and send him on his way out to sea, anyway this year they seem to have had a bit of a manufacturing fault with the ballons, I would say about half of them caught fire, ie the whole lot burst into flames before they got into the sky.

Some Japanese tourists, the Japanese girl was quite a looker but she sussed I was trying to get her in the picture so tried to hide :(



And up up and away it goes dripping burning flames onto people as it flies away.



YouTube - Loy Krathong ]]> Thailands Festivals and Celebrations dirtydog http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59651-loy-krathong.html <![CDATA['Nong Peach' top ladyboy at Phuket Rajabhat]]> http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59614-nong-peach-top-ladyboy-phuket-rajabhat.html Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:10:27 GMT
'Nong Peach' top ladyboy at Phuket Rajabhat

One of the contestants accepts roses from admirers.


The pageant included a chance for each contestant to recite a short, inspirational poem to the audience.
RASSADA, PHUKET: Keslingthip ‘Nong Peach’ Rungreungniti took first prize in a beauty pageant among 12 ladyboy university students held at Phuket Rajabhat University last night.

The event, now in its second year, was held as part of the school’s Loy Kratong celebrations.

Nong Peach, 19, is studying performing arts in the school’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Most of the contestants were from Phuket Rajabhat, with a few representing Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus.

A panel of five judges decided the outcome, with about 1,000 people in the audience playing a role by buying and presenting roses to their favorite contestant.

The number of flowers received was taken into consideration by the judges in their overall assessment.

In the more traditional competition, 22-year-old Jiraphan ‘Nong Peung’ Kaewthong was voted as the ‘Miss Noppamas’, beating five other beauties to the title.

Nong Peung is a third-year student majoring in human resource studies in the Rajabhat Faculty of Business Management.

Phuket Gazette

Some Thai ladymen in Phuket on last years Loy Kratong

YouTube - Phuket Ladyboy Beauty Contest (Loy Krathong) Nov '08 ]]> Thailands Festivals and Celebrations dirtydog http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59614-nong-peach-top-ladyboy-phuket-rajabhat.html Pattaya Tiffanys - Japanese man wins Miss International Queen 2009 http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59563-pattaya-tiffanys-japanese-man-wins-miss.html Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:09:30 GMT Japanese victory at Miss International Queen 2009 at Tiffany’s.


Pattaya, November 2 [PATTAYA ONE NEWS] : Over the weekend, the Tiffany Show Theatre, famous for its transsexual variety shows, hosted the 2009 Miss International Queen Competition which is organized every year to find the most beautiful transsexual in the world. This year, the finals night was one of the most spectacular to date and featured 18 finalists from around the world who took part in a 3 hour spectacular to find this years Miss International Queen. At the end of the night, the celebrity judges decided this years winner was the Japanese contestant Mr. Haluna Ai who beat the Thai contestant to the crown and received 10,000 US Dollars and a diamond tiara. He will also spend the next year taking part in promotional events around the world.

YouTube - 2009 Miss International Queen Contest ]]> Thailands Festivals and Celebrations dirtydog http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/59563-pattaya-tiffanys-japanese-man-wins-miss.html Phuket celebrates Chulalongkorn Day http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/58978-phuket-celebrates-chulalongkorn-day.html Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:30:19 GMT *Phuket celebrates Chulalongkorn Day* ...
Phuket celebrates Chulalongkorn Day

Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop leads the ceremony at Phuket Provincial Hall this morning.
One of the many beautiful tributes to Rama V at Phuket Provincial Hall today.
PHUKET CITY: Several hundred people this morning gathered at Phuket Provincial Hall to mark Chulalongkorn Day.

Led by Phuket Governor Wichai Phraisa-ngop, the crowd placed a wreath around a portrait of the great monarch at the auspicious time of 9:09am.

Many of those who took part were government officers.

October 23, a national holiday in Thailand, is the anniversary of the death of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), one of Thailand’s most revered rulers.

The reign of Rama V, from 1868 to 9010, was characterized by extensive social and economic development, including the abolition of slavery and the corvée labor system.

Rama V is also famous for his ardent nationalism and skill in fending off colonization by European powers expanding their influence in Southeast Asia at the time.
Kitima Pornmongkhonwat
Phuket Gazette

]]> Thailands Festivals and Celebrations dirtydog http://teakdoor.com/thailands-festivals-and-celebrations/58978-phuket-celebrates-chulalongkorn-day.html