Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year

[TotallyOz]

Any special plans for Valentine's Day or Chinese New Year? Any events or parties going on?

[Guest lvdkeyes]

Chinese dinner at my place for a few friends.

[Guest hans030]

when is the chinese new year?

[Guest fountainhall]

New Year's Day this year coincides with Valentine's Day - February 14

[pong]

as for events: if you open any newspaper, it would seem the main event is yet another shopping-extravaganza in about any of the multitude of malls, centres, stores we have here.

As for this big city of Bangkok:

most unknowing tourists expect some major festival. Thats not the case, nor has it ever been. Its about like a foreign visitor in the UK on 25/12, except that there are also Thai neighborhoods to escape to.

In front of what I still call WTC, but is now Centran World-this whole week there have been dancers, music and troopers from mainland China-look for free.

In Yaowarat/''Chinatown'' (about the whole of PraNakorn khet here in BKK is Chinese and not all are the super-rich type of bisnispeople), according to the BMA/tourist info (=not the TAT) there will be festivities in Yaowarat on 14+15/2 (which looks a bit of mistake to me-untill I later saw banners telling the same)- with again some Chinese (lion/dragon) dance-always good for some more pix, and-hey-concerts of LOOK THOONG and some modern-dog style new Thai pop group, of which I have already forgotten the name. Now thats real Chinese, nah?

from 16.00 till ''late eve''.

BALCONY bar, silom-4, will have a roasted pig allyoucaneat festival on sun 14/2-free for its members, pay for non-mmb.

Expect an awful lot of Chinese from Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, etc. (and mainland-China Eastern has 88 extra flights laid on), as they have holidaytime. So the not-stick-to-much-to-the-family gays from there might also grow in number in places like Babylon, X-sizeboys, and the like.

If boyfriend-you for the time being has any grasp of it, he might hint at those ang-pao red envelopes Thai like to receive with the proper contents.

Sorry-its so long ago Ive been to Pattaya, I leave that to others better in the know for the going-ons there.

There is now a major dispute (believe me-Chinese are 100 times more superstitous as you can even dream of) if the obligatory red Shirts showing the symbol of the coming new Year (=the metal tiger=MY sign too!!) should be replaced by pink, this as not to provoke unwanted political connotations with reds. Alas-this came too late-the orders have been delivered and connot be changed now.

And to chip in with Valentine=Carrefour offers boxer shorts with red hearts on them for an unbelieveable 39 bt. only!

[Guest fountainhall]

As for this big city of Bangkok: most unknowing tourists expect some major festival. Thats not the case, nor has it ever been

I suppose the problem (for tourists) is that Chinese New Year is very much a family affair, rather like Songkran with firecrackers rather than water, when people return to their home towns and villages for a prescribed series of events over 3 or 4 days. When I lived in Hong Kong, the city literally 'died' over the New Year period and I always came to Thailand at that time. Then the Hong Kong Hotels Association and the Tourist Organisation got together to try and fill up some of the empty rooms. So a massive fireworks display was started up, and later a Parade which was supposed to be a mini Rio carnival-type parade. (Unfortunately, in the first year it was very cold and one of the floats overturned killing some tourists - not an auspicious start).

 

But Bangkok has a major Chinatown. I'd have thought the Tourist Authority could help organise a series of events around New Year that would be, perhaps, Chinese with a Thai flavour and that are not just more lion dances and concerts of Thai pop.

 

So the not-stick-to-much-to-the-family gays from there might also grow in number in places like Babylon, X-sizeboys, and the like.

That's for sure! It's been like that for many years. Many of the guys are very cute and in great shape physically, but my experience is that a lot of the regular visitors at this time have 'attitude'. I suspect - hope? - that with many more mainland Chinese now visiting, these guys will be less picky!!

[pong]

But Bangkok has a major Chinatown. I'd have thought the Tourist Authority could help organise a series of events around New Year that would be, perhaps, Chinese with a Thai flavour and that are not just more lion dances and concerts of Thai pop.

 

They tried to do that-for the last 3-4 years, once it was cancelled due to the death of the late Queen mother and once because of?? some demo or whatever.

Frankly-I rather think the main instream of other Chinese tourists would come here for Thai things-not what they can see better @ home. Also fireworks from private persons is about banned here in BKK (believe it or not-at least on songkran it works), though it needs an awful lot to keep a superstitious Chinese from doing the things he thinks should be done to keep up the tradition.

But I agree with you re the contents-in fact I went to the BMA tourist office (its nearby where I stay and they are much more knowledgeable about this city-much more as the TAT) and the lady looking for all the announcements clearly saw it first time too-and was rather amazed.

I guess someone at cityhall realised too late about it-and then all the dragons. lions etc. were already booked.

BTW-I took a walk last night-and hit a temple fair, local Thai style and then was quite amazed in front of CityHall-it turned out to be an INDIAN holy festival for the 3 gods of Shiva, Vishnu and Ganesh-with bollywood pop, indian songs, and Thai dance. Said to last another 2 days=today+morrow, suk and sau.

This Chinatown here is mainly the goldshops on Charoen Krung and New Road. Thats just bisnis. But as I said-about all of Khet PraNakorn is Chinese-many more small scale and also-scrape under the surface-a fair lot of illegal migrants doing the underpaid menial jobs hidden behind the fences.

Those rich gold-bisnismen go out.

The others stay-and today they clean all their front-windows, tomorrow they burn the multi-million $$ money of Hellbank copy-copies and the paper mobuys, and then the roasted pigheads come and the fat gooses and all that. I'll get the usual tasteless pink cake from the neighbours-no pun intended, as they are only in pink.

And the spoilt rich girls high matayom nearby had about 12 red-rose vendors this morning to woo their faen with that-20 bt/piece.

its just that I had some time now-it has nothing to do with the usual contents of this forum.

Wish someone could just briefly write down what Pattaya sees of it-just curious.

[Guest fountainhall]

Frankly-I rather think the main instream of other Chinese tourists would come here for Thai things-not what they can see better @ home

Very interesting post, pong. My only point in suggesting more Chinese events for Chinese New Year was not for visiting Chinese, but for the westerners and other non-Chinese who might find it an interesting addition to their more usual shopping, eating an sunning holiday.

[Guest Astrrro]

Think there's something going on at Bali Hai pier in Pattaya as well as a Sunee street party.