Traditions of Chiang Mai
The northern Thai capital, where Yi Peng lantern night and Songkran water-throwing light up the year.
Chiang Mai was the capital of the Lanna kingdom and is still the cultural centre of northern Thailand. Its old town is surrounded by a moat and holds more than a hundred temples. The Lanna people have their own dialect, cuisine and arts, and the city keeps two of Thailand's best-loved festivals.
Yi Peng and Songkran
At Yi Peng, in November, thousands of paper lanterns rise into the night sky, a form of merit-making and letting go. At the same time Loy Krathong floats small lotus boats of banana leaf and candles on the river. Songkran in April is a new year of water splashing, but also begins with a quiet ritual pouring of water on Buddha images and elders' hands.
At the table
Khao soi, curry noodles with crispy noodles on top, is the dish of the north, with sai ua, a herby sausage, and nam prik ong, a tomato chilli dip. Sticky rice replaces plain rice. The Sunday walking street market sells these and sweet snacks.
Signature traditions of Chiang Mai
Also part of it, and being written: Yi Peng (The northern Thai lantern festival.), Songkran (The Thai new year.), Khao soi (The northern curry noodle dish.).
A trail idea for Chiang Mai
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Climb the stairs to the mountain temple.
- Sunday Walking Street Taste northern food and see handmade crafts.
- Wat Chedi Luang A ruined stupa in the old city.
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, markets and festival dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
🇲🇲 Mandalay, Myanmar and 2 moreSand pagodaသဲပုံစေတီ (Burmese), พระเจดีย์ทราย (Thai)
Temporary sand or mud structures built by Theravada Buddhists to cultivate merit and honor the Buddha.Spiritual
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai, Thailand and 5 moreLoy Krathongลอยกระทง
A Thai festival of floating leaf baskets on rivers to honor water and release negativity.Festival
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai, Thailand and 1 moreYi Pengยี่เป็ง
A northern Thai Buddhist festival of sky lanterns, clay lamps and temple sermonsSpiritual
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์
The three-day Thai New Year festival marked by water rituals and blessings for eldersFestival
🇲🇲 Myanmar and 1 moreLongyiလုံချည်
A tube of cloth worn from waist to feet in Myanmar, folded shut with no knotDress
🇹🇭 Bangkok, ThailandSongkranสงกรานต์
The Thai solar New Year marked by temple rites, elder blessings and water throwingSeasonal
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Loy Krathong: John Shedrick, CC BY 2.0, source
- Yi Peng: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Songkran: ผู้สร้างสรรค์ผลงาน/ส่งข้อมูลเก็บในคลังข้อมูลเสรีวิกิมีเดียคอมมอนส์ - เ, CC BY 3.0, source
- Sand pagoda: Chainwit., CC BY 4.0, source
- Longyi: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source