Thailand share borders with neighbours: Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. There is a fusion of these three cultures plus the original cultures of India and China, the mothers of the neo-cultures of Polynesia and South-East Asia.

There are two main religions: Buddhism and Brahmanism, and a mixture of faiths and beliefs in Astrology, Numerlogy, Feng Shui, Fortune Telling, Horoscope and Geomancy.

They also believe in names with bad karmar and omen, like the people of Babylon. It is their culture for the man to pay dowery to the bride's parent in a marriage. Along the shared borders, are many lucritive plantations of opium. This area is known as the Golden Triangle, where the drug syndicates can run across borders to escape the authorities.

SONGKRAN FESTIVAL

Enters the new year from 14 April to 15 April when the Sun moving toward the zodiac Aries. This is a major ceremony which starts on 13 April with the parade of floats and the Miss Songkran sitting on the animal of the zodiac horoscope of the year. The ceremony includes a water-fight and the use of water to symbolise the cleaning of a soul from sin and bad luck.

People of all ages and sexes spray water at each other and make water fights. Weapons of high powered water guns, sprays and elephants were used in the street battles. It is a time, where all bounds break loose to hurl water bombs at each other. It is spiritual cleansing, as the water represents the washing of the body and the soul from the sins and evil karma.

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LOY KRATHONG	DANCING with Costumes

LOY KRATHONG FESTIVAL

The Loy Krathong festival is in November every year.

LOY means to float, KRATHONG is a boat made of banana leaves, shaped like a lotus flower, and contain a candle, three joss sticks, some flowers and coins. This ritual originated from Brahmin when people make offerings to the Goddess of the water.

People would buy the Krathong from the market, and light up the candles and joss sticks and release them into the canals, rivers or even small ponds. The belief is to let go of their bad karma into the water and be cleanse. At moonlight, the release of the loy krathong and a contest for the best looking one.

In the afternoon, there is a parade of floats with beautiful women sitting on an animal, which represents the zodiac of the year. The Chinese Horoscope has twelve zodiac animals, one for each year and the cycle goes round at the end of the twelfth year. It begins with the first animal, the rat followed by the buffalo, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and last but not least, the pig. This year, 2006 is the year of the dog, and next year, the pig, and the cycle goes back to the rat and so on. There is a beauty pageant, people from the rural areas gather at City Hall in their traditional costumes to dance and celebrate the occassion.

Evening, there are giant lanterns with burning candles released up to float in the air. The air is full of ravelling, firework displays and games for all the age groups.

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Street Smart