AWAY
Fair in Nakhon Pathom
From tomorrow until May 22, the “Amazing Nakhon Pathom” fair will take place in a field in front of Phra Ruang Rojanarit, a major Buddha statue, at Phra Pathom Chedi in Muang district. Phra Pathom Chedi is a stupa that has enshrined Lord Buddha’s relics since the Dvaravati Period (6th-11th centuries) and was one of the first places where Buddhism arrived in Thailand.
Activities at the fair include exhibitions on the history of Nakhon Pathom, the display and sale of One Tambon One Product (Otop) goods, local products, accommodation and tour packages, farm produce and local food, entertainment and merit-making.
On May 16, the opening ceremony will be highlighted by a fashion show in which models will grace the stage in traditional costumes in the styles of the Dvaravati Period and the reigns of Kings Rama IV-VI. On the main stage, local students will perform a variety of shows from Friday until May 16 and May 19-21. On May 17-18, local leaders and officials will compete in singing contests called “The Voice of Ratchasi” and “Singha Go To The Star”, respectively.
In addition, there will be free concerts by singer Ratchanok Srilophan on Friday, Mahahing Band on Saturday, Flame Band on Sunday, Fah Sai Band on May 16, Noo Meter and his band on May 19 and Asia R-Siam’s Band on May 21.
On May 20, Buddhists will be able to listen to all the 13 chapters of Mahajati Sermon about the Lord Buddha’s last previous life. On May 22, the Miss Nakhon Pathom Contest will be held.
Call the TAT Contact Centre 1672.
Music festival on Samet
On June 4, Koh Samet, a long-time popular island in the eastern region of Thailand, will host its annual “Samed In Love Music Festival” on the white sandy Sai Kaeo Beach. The 10-hour performance will start from 4.30pm. On the list of participating artists and bands are Scrub, Tabasco, Slot Machine, Potato, Big Ass, Tattoo Colour, Palmy, Kan Kor Club, Paradox and many more. Tickets are priced at 1,200 baht and available via www.thaiticketmajor.com.
Visit www.facebook.com/ samedinlove or call the organiser on 098-111-901 or the TAT Rayong Office on 038-655-420/1.
Festivals in Hong Kong
The culture of Hong Kong is on show with four festivals at Pak Tai Temple on Cheung Chau Island, until Sunday.
The Cheung Chau Bun Festival falls on the fifth to the ninth days of the fourth Chinese lunar month. Every year, residents of Cheung Chau Island make papier-mache effigies of deities, prepare costumes, bake buns and build a bamboo tower for placing the buns.
It all started with a plague that devastated Cheung Chau in the late Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The islanders built an altar in front of Pak Tai Temple and begged the god Pak Tai to drive away the evil spirits. They also paraded the statues of deities through the narrow lanes of their village. A century later, the rituals are still performed in a festival that includes Taoist ceremonies and music, a parade, lion dances, drum beating and a spectacular Bun Scrambling Competition (climbing up a tower of buns).
From tomorrow until Saturday, 7.30–11pm, there will be Chinese opera performances at Pak Tai Temple Plaza. Tomorrow, 2.30-3.15pm, there will be lion and unicorn dances at the temple plaza. On Saturday at 10.30am, there will be a lion dance and kung fu performances at 10.30am and Piu Sik (floating colours) Parade from 2-4pm at the temple plaza and the Bun Scrambling Competition from 11.30am-12.30pm at the soccer pitch. On Sunday at the temple plaza, the Distribution of Buns will begin at 9am and the ceremony to send the deities back to their temples will start at 2pm.
Visit www.discoverhongkong.com.