General Tanasak Patimapragorn told reporters on Monday that key venues where extravagant fireworks were the norm on New Year’s Eve would be holding low key festivities to see the New Year in. Sanam Luang Park in Bangkok plus major plazas in cities and seaside resorts such as Chiang Mai and Phuket will be staging concurrent rites scheduled to kick off at 21:00.
New Year revellers will light candles and take part in mass prayers. As a part of the proceedings, there will be an 89-second silence to mark the age of King Bhumibol when he passed away and the rendition of a song written by the monarch specifically for the New Year, Phorn Pi Mai.
Despite the fact fireworks displays and raucous countdown ceremonies are not on the agenda this New Year, public transport is expected to be extremely busy. 12GO ASIA recommends travellers planning on taking intercity journeys by bus, train or aeroplane make their reservations as quickly as possible.
Thailand to light candles in place of fireworks for New Year
News in Asia
The government of Thailand has announced that candles will replace fireworks extravaganzas to ring in the New Year on 31 December. The nation’s deputy-prime-minister says the candle-lit ceremonies will be more in keeping with the fact that the nation is still mourning the recent passing of its beloved king, Bhumibol Adulyadej.