2009 IS AN IMPORTANT AND EVENTFUL YEAR FOR THE HUA HIN AREA

The Songkran Festival celebrations in Hua Hin take place from the 13th to the 15th of April.  The Songkran Festival celebrates the Thai New Year and is traditionally a time to visit and pay respect to elders, including family members and neighbors. The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by gently pouring a small amount of water on other people’s hands or over their shoulder as a sign of respect. The water is meant as a symbol of washing all of the bad away and is sometimes filled with fragrant herbs.

Among young people the holiday has evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand. This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles. This is the day that boys can spray water on their favorite girl. In Hua Hin, Songkran celebrations are known to be beautiful and relatively calm.

In Hua Hin, Songkran also involves a beauty paegant called ‘Nang Songkran’ and a deity parading ceremony in which young women demonstrate their beauty and unique talents.

This year Hua Hin will celebrate its 100th anniversary, and numerous activities are planned for the occasion. Among those is the ‘Hua Hin VIP Live Train Concert’ organized by Oriental Express Standard, ‘the Hua Hin Fair’ from April to May as well as ‘the Hua Hin Film Festival’ where short films using Hua Hin as a shooting location are screened. A beach concert with over 100 artists from Thailand and many other countries is also being planned. We will keep you posted.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF SIAM’S FIRST ELITE SEASIDE RESORT

It was not just the breathtaking views of Hua Hin that captured the souls of those seeking refuge there in the early days, but also the warm hospitality of the town’s people who were so attentive to the needs of their visitors.

Hua Hin was discovered during the reign of King Rama III in 1834. The first inhabitants of Hua Hin came from Bang Jarn in Petchaburi, where a harsh environment forced them out to the kinder environs of this seaside town. They built their homes and raised their families, and over time became prominent figures of the town. The children of these families played important roles in receiving and attending to the needs of many royal and noble visitors and took part in developing the town, which became one of the most frequently visited seaside retreats in the Asian region.

Photos from National Archives of Thailand & Prestige Magazine