Valentines Day in Thailand
So What are you going to do?
TRANG UNDERWATER WEDDING CEREMONY
February 15 - 17, 2005
Pak Meng Beach, Trang Province
The inaugural Millennium Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony was held for the first time on Valentine's Day 2000.
The event which attracted 30 participants from 28 countries set a new Guinness World Record and put Trang on the world map. Video footage of the underwater wedding extravaganza seen on international TV networks as well as in print media.
Given its uniqueness and popularity, Trang’s underwater wedding ceremony has become an annual event.
In 2005, the event celebrates its ninth year, and on the auspicious occasion of the 78th birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King, Trang province is aiming for a total of 78 Thai and foreign couples to take part in the underwater wedding ceremony.
Although it is named the underwater wedding ceremony, the promotion was designed to promote the various interesting aspects of the traditional Thai wedding ceremony and presents an opportunity for couples from around the world to personally experience the enchanting aspects of the Thai wedding and its time-honoured traditions such as the colourful "khan maak" procession.
The ‘khan maak’ procession
The ‘khan maak’ procession is a ceremonial visit to the bride's parents to ask for their daughter's hand.
The groom is accompanied by an entourage of relatives and close friends as he calls on the bride's parents to make offerings of betel nuts, arecas and dowry placed in a bowl or tray.
Spirited processions are accompanied by folk dances and songs and enlivened by the exhilarating beat of a long drum troupe.
All of these elements add to the visual spectacle of the ceremony.
As the bridegroom makes his way to pay his respects to the bride's parents, in traditional ceremonies, the bridegroom's entourage passes through 'silver' and 'golden gates' where he is quizzed by friends and relatives of the bride in a friendly banter of questions and answers. Once the offerings have been made to the bride's parents, respected elders and distinguished guests pour scented lustral water over the hands of the bride and groom's respectively in a blessing ceremony.
'Kin nieow' ritual
Trang province will also be sharing another aspect of local culture and tradition with the couples.
The traditional ‘kin nieow’ rite performed on the eve of the wedding day will also be featured as part of the underwater wedding ceremony.
It is an informal gathering of relatives and close friends of the bride and groom to celebrate the joyous occasion.
The signature dish served during the evening’s meal is a chicken curry prepared with coconut cream and served with glutinous rice or ‘khao neow’, more popularly referred to as ‘sticky’ rice.
Hence the word ‘neow’ which means sticky is derived from the words ‘khao neow’ or glutinous rice and symbolizes a life-long bond that binds the couple together.
Blessing ceremony
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif A blessing ceremony takes place at Pak Meng Beach.
Respected elders and distinguished guests pour scented lustral water over the hands of the bride and groom's respectively and offer their good wishes.
To be eligible, couples, relatives and guests taking part in the event are required to be certified divers. Married couples who wish to renew their vows in an extraordinary but memorable fashion are also eligible.
The Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony was originally launched by Thai Airways International as a novel concept to promote tourism to Trang in Southern Thailand.
Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony Package
The 3-day/2-night underwater wedding ceremony package is 25,000 Baht per person.
The package does not include airfare for point-to-point travel to Trang but covers expenses including accommodation, hosted meals, and scheduled transportation and transfer fees during the stay in Trang.
PROGRAMME
February 15, 2005 10.30 The bridal couples and other guests arrive at Trang airport. Upon arrival, the party is greeted by welcome ceremony hosted by Trang province.
Transfer from the airport to the Thumrin Thana Hotel
17.00 The "khan maak" procession to Somdej Phra Srinagarindra 95 Park.
Bridal couples make their way through the city streets in traditional ‘tuk tuk’ vehicles, the local mode of transport in Trang province. The colourful procession is led by a long-drum troupe and accompanied by colourful parades consisting of the ‘OTOP’ parade, marching bands, music bands and decorated vehicles.
18.30 Welcome reception at Somdej Phra Srinagarindra 95 Park with delicious local fare prepared by local restaurants being served.
The ‘Kin Nieow’ traditional rite is performed and the evening ends with a grand fireworks display.
‘Kin Nieow’ ritual
Please click to view
February 16, 2005
08.45 The party arrives at Pak Meng Beach where the traditional Thai blessing ritual is performed. Respected elders and distinguished guests pour scented lustral water over the hands of the bride and groom's respectively and offer their good wishes.
https://teakdoor.com/images/smilies1/You_Rock_Emoticon.gif The couple change into their dive suits and prepare for the underwater wedding ceremony.
At a selected site two metres offshore and between Pling Island and Meng Island, an official traditional Thai-style marriage registration is conducted underwater at a depth of 15 metres.
The couple is accompanied by five witnesses while relatives and guests watch the underwater proceedings as it is relayed live by close-circuit TV.
The couples also release one million baby shrimps and a Giant Clam in the reef area in a traditional Thai merit-making gesture. http://www.tatnews.org/images/clear.gif
11.30 Return to Pak Meng Beach for a hosted lunch 18.00 Celebration banquet on the ‘Underwater Wedding Beach’ on the premises of the Rajamangala Srivijaya Insitute of Technology.
February 17, 2005 08.30 The married couples plant a 'love tree' at the Tung Kai Botanical Gardens (Southern Botanical Gardens)
Contact information:
TAT Southern Region Office: Area 2
Tel: +66 (0) 7534 6515-6
Fax: +66 (0) 7534 6517
E-mail: tatnksri[at]tat.or.th
Web site: The 13th Anniversary of Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony 2009
IMPORTANT
Event dates and programme details may be subject to change.
Many of the festivals and events listed on Thailand's official calendar of annual events are traditional Buddhist or folk festivals, the date of which is either determined by the Buddhist lunar calendar and waxing and waning moon. These are not staged events. The festivals reflect the rhythm of life in rural Thai villages and local traditions as observed in times past. To ensure you have the most updated information, please reconfirm details prior to travel. Contact:
Tourism Authority of Thailand
Email: info[at]tat.or.th
Website: ¡Ò÷èͧà·ÕèÂÇáË觻ÃÐà·Èä·Â
Tel: +66 (0) 2250 5500 (120 automatic lines)
Fax: +66 (0) 2250 5511 (two automatic lines)
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FOR EVENT INFORMATION,
please call 1672.
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Address:
1600 Petchaburi Road, Makkasan, Rajatevee
Bangkok 10400
Thailand
