Bloggang.com : chollee

Group Blog

พฤศจิกายน 2555

29 พฤศจิกายน 2555

tradition

All Blog

tradition

tradition

New Year's Day

New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the firstday of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Juliancalendar used in ancientRome. With most countries using theGregorian calendar as their main calendar, New Year's Day is the closest thingto being the world's only truly global public holiday, often celebrated with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts. January 1 on the Juliancalendar currently correspondsto January14 on the Gregorian calendar, and it is on that date thatfollowers of some of the EasternOrthodox churches celebratethe NewYear. New Year's Day is a postalholiday in the UnitedStates

Thailand iswell-known for her festivals which take place all the year round. Most ofthese festivals are influenced by Buddhist and Brahminical religions, however,with the passage of time a number of them have been adopted in deference to theinternational practice.

Actually, the official New Year's Day of Thailand has undergone severalchanges. Once it used to fall at the end of November. Later, duringthe reign of King Rama V ( 1868-1910) it was moved to a date round about Apriland then New Year's Day was changed to April the first. The universalpractice of celebrating the New Year on January 1 was adopted in 1941 indeference to the western calendar and this is one of a number of changes aimedat modernising the country.

Though January 1 is regarded as official New Year, the majority of Thais stillregard the middle of April (Songkran) as their new year's day, and on thisauspicious occasion a week-long celebration is held through out thekingdom. Most of activities on Songkran Day involve water throwing, buildingsand pagodas and pouring lustral water on the aged as a means ofblessing. To be frank, a celebration a January 1 is not so popular asthat of Songkran. Normally, before the upcoming January 1, people willexchange greeting cards and gifts. Sin ce on this auspicious occasion, afew grand celebrations are held in the kingdom, people take this opportunity totravel upcountry to visit their relatives or spend holidays at a touristattraction site, while those stay at home will prepare food and other necessaryitems to make merit on the early morning of January 1 and then take part invarious charitable activities held in various places.

At the same time, several companies take this opportunity to give a bonus andannounce promotions to their employees who later cash money to buy gifts forrelatives and friends before heading to their hometown for a long vacation.

Obviously, in Thailand people celebrate New Year three times a year, namely:the Thai traditional New Year or Songkran, January 1 and the Chinese NewYear. Out of these, Songkran is the most joyous occasion which drawpeople from all walks of life to take part in a week-long celebration. Meanwhile, the Chinese New Year is important especially for Thai citizens ofChinese origin. Though it is not a public holiday, most privateorganizations will close their business for several days so that the employersand their employees will be able to celebrate the auspicious occasion withtheir relatives at home or spend a long holiday in a place they like.

Children's Day

Children's Day is recognized on various days in manyplaces around the world, to honor children globally.It was established in 1954 to protect children working long hours in dangerouscircumstances and allow all children access to an education. The UN General Assembly recommended that all countries shouldestablish a Universal Children's Day on an "appropriate" day. Majorglobal variants include a UniversalChildren's Day on November20, by United Nations recommendation.

Children's Day is often celebrated on other days as well.International Day for Protection of Children, observed in many countries as Children'sDay on June 1 since 1950, is said to have been established by the Women'sInternational Democratic Federation on its November 1949 congress in Paris.

Children are considered as the most valuable resources of the nation.They are a powerful force in the development and stability of the nation.Normally, the age of children taking part in the celebrations should be lessthen 14 years old.

To prepare themselves to be the strength of the nation,children should be industrious in their study, make use of their time wisely,being disciplined, diligent, helpful to each other, unselfish, being aware ofright and duty and responsible towards society. In addition, they should keepthe country clean and conserve the natural environment and public property. Ifchildren are aware of their own future and of the nation by behaving in such away, they will be called "Worthy Children" and the country will beprosperous.

At the same time, to stimulate children to be aware oftheir significant role in the country, the National Children's Day was held forthe first time on the first Monday of October 1955 and continued until 1963.Then it was changed to the second Saturday of January as at this time the rainyseason is over and it is a government holiday. This is still in practice today.

National ForestConservation Day

Publicholidays in Thailand are regulated by the government, and most are observed by both the public and privatesectors. There are usually sixteen public holidays in a year, but more may bedeclared by the Cabinet. If a holiday falls on a weekend, one followingworkday is observed as a compensatory non-workday. The Bankof Thailand regulates bankholidays, which differ slightly from those observed by the government. Otherobservances, both official and non-official, local and international, areobserved in varying degrees throughout the country.

Teachers' Day

In many countries, Teachers'Days are intended to bespecial days for the appreciation of teachers, and may include celebrations to honor them for theirspecial contributions in a particular field area, or the community in general.The date on which Teachers' day is celebrated varies from country to country.Teachers' days are distinct from World Teachers' Day which is officially celebrated across the world onOctober 5.

Teachers have an influencingrole in the life of every student. They are like beacons of light, guiding usin the formative years of our life. Teachers mould us and in the process andshape our future. What we learn from our teachers remains with us, throughoutour life. However, very often, we fail to show our appreciation and gratitudefor their altruistic devotion. Teachers do need encouragement and support fromthe community to feel that their efforts are being recognized. To serve thepurpose, Teacher's Day is celebrated throughout the world, year by year. By celebratingNational Teacher's Day, we thank our teachers for providing us their invaluableguidance.

The festival is celebrated on different dates indifferent countries. In India, Teacher's Day (also called Teachers'Appreciation Day or National Teacher's Day) is celebrated on 5th of September,every year. The date was selected, because it is the birthday of a timelessteacher and the former President of India - Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. Whensome of his students and friends approached him and requested him to allow themto celebrate his birthday, he said, "instead of celebrating my birthdayseparately, it would be my proud privilege, if September 5th is observed asTeacher's day". From then onwards, the 5th of September has been observedas Teachers Day, in India.

Since Teacher's Day is observed on differentdates in different countries of the world, the celebrations also vary. In manycountries, cultural programs are held, which may include singing competitions,dance and play performances. The students would offer flowers, greeting cardsand gifts as the token of affection, to the teachers. The latest trend is toorganize Teacher's Day party. Students are keen about throwing a lavish partyfor their teachers, to show how much they care and respect them. The occasioncan be celebrated in myriad other ways as well. Whatever the way you havechosen to amuse your teacher, it should convey your message to him/her, veryconvincingly.