The following appears in PATTAYA ONE:

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Pattaya International Mardi Gras Festival Announcement

 

On Friday Morning at Pattaya City Hall, Khun Wirawat, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya chaired a preparation meeting to discuss plans for the Pattaya International Mardi Gras which is set to take place on 23rd January 2009. This will be the first ever Mardi Gras Festival here in Pattaya and will be based on Mardi Gras celebrations around the world.

 

The highlight of the festival will be an Electric Parade which will take place in the evening. It will start at Pattaya City Hall and finish on Pattaya Beach close to the Central Pattaya Road intersection. Local Schools and Private Companies will be taking part in the parade which will be colorful and full of energy according to the organizers who are Pattaya City Hall and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Sponsors for the event include the Central Pattana Group and various Pattaya Tourism and Hotel clubs.

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You know what I like best about the plan? January 23, 2009 is a Friday.

You know what I like best about the plan? January 23, 2009 is a Friday.

 

Perhaps no one told them what Mardi Gras means.

 

Pattaya International Mardi Gras Festival Announcement. This will be the first ever Mardi Gras Festival here in Pattaya and will be based on Mardi Gras celebrations around the world.

This is Thailand and they have slated "Fat Tuesday" a little early this year. Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, is on February 23 of 2009. According to a New Orleans site, "Carnival celebration starts on January 6, the Twelfth Night (feast of Epiphany); and picks up speed until Midnight on Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. How will you know which Tuesday it will be? Ash Wednesday is always 40 days before Easter (not including Sundays) and Fat Tuesday is always the day before Ash Wednesday. Easter can fall on any Sunday from March 23 to April 25 with the exact date to coincide with the first Sunday after the full moon following a Spring Equinox! There you have it! Voila!

 

 

This doesn't explain why they picked this date for Mardi Gras.

I don't think they have any idea about the religious significance of Mardi Gras - the concept of a street carnival and its potential to revitalize a tourism industry damaged by self-inflicted actions, is what has prompted the authorities to choose 'Mardi Gras' as a title/theme for the event. It happens in Asia all the time. Not even Asian festivals are safe from the 'call it anything and celebrate it any time as long as it brings in the moolah' syndrome. One example is the Chinese lantern festival (also called the Mid-Autumn or mooncake festival). It should be celebrated only on the 15th day of the 8th Moon with mooncakes being presented to friends, colleagues, and relatives from the 1st to the 14th days. Nowadays, mooncakes are being sold before the 7th month (the month of the dead) and lantern processions are being held as late as the middle of the 9th month (the vegetarian festival month).

 

Considering the deteriorating standards of what many Asian authorities consider to be acceptable English, I think we should be glad they didn't spell it "MUDDY GRASS" and just enjoy looking at cute boys in nice/scanty costumes parading (hopefully) half-naked through the streets.

 

Xian

Not even Asian festivals are safe from the 'call it anything and celebrate it any time as long as it brings in the moolah' syndrome.

Good explanation. This is Thailand. What is in a name anyway? When it comes to a holiday or a party, it is a matter of fun and maybe making a little money, too!

I can't help thinking that they should have had the sense to create a few new events and given them some cachet with references to their own culture and history. After all, they already have the lovely Candle Festival and Flower Festival in Chiengmai. They could do the same for other things, for example -

 

a River Festival - lots of muscular, half-naked men running about rowing decorated boats in races and parades, etc. etc. or for the straight folks and their families - pretty girls and cute kids in the parades and floating stages, etc. etc. The Chinese Dragon Boat festival is quite popular in other parts of Asia already (with international teams participating in the races) and adding a special Thai one to the tourism calendar isn't a bad idea.

 

a sea festival with lots of muscular, half-naked men, pretty girls and cute kids in the parades and floating stages, etc. etc....you get the idea...

 

a hill festival with lots and lots of lots of muscular, half-naked men, pretty girls and cute kids in elephant, flower, fruit parades and cultural dancing on the stages, etc. etc.

 

a rice festival with lots and lots of....need I repeat it?

 

All this is off the top of my head. I could probably think of more and how to promote them if I put my mind to it but the point they seem to forget, I think, is that most people are afraid to go to the LOS for a holiday because they are afraid of being trapped by more protests again. Not because there aren't already plenty of things to see and do in LOS. And with the PAD threatening to repeat the process, I can't see potential holidaymakers wanting to take the risk in the near future.

 

Xian

lots of muscular, half-naked men running about

Half naked? I say, if we're going to have it, then let's do it right!

 

My guess is "Pattaya One" might have typed the wrong month. But as others have said TIT.

 

New Orleans was one of my favorite cities for just pure fun. I lived in Texas for a short while and would fly to New Orleans at least once a month.

 

I would love to have the "Hurricane" drink concession, no matter when Pattaya schedules it!

Half naked? I say, if we're going to have it, then let's do it right!

 

I couldn't agree more, GB...unfortunately, there are quite a few spoilsports who might take exception to that. They're usually the ones who blather on about appreciating the beauty of the human form because it is God's creation. But show them the slightest peek of meat and see what happens! Even more unfortunate, the ones who have to fly in outnumber us and have more money to spend as tourists. And that's not to mention the ones who don't.

This doesn't explain why they picked this date for Mardi Gras.

 

Surely the main reason for its being held on 23rd January is commercial - to encourage tourism from neighbouring countries, most of whom have a very long week-end holiday for the lunar New Year starting on that date. And does a gay Mardi Gras have to be on the actual day of 'Mardi Gras'? Sydney is one of the most celebrated around the world. It runs next year from 14 February till the closing Parade on March 7.

Surely the main reason for its being held on 23rd January is commercial - to encourage tourism from neighbouring countries, most of whom have a very long week-end holiday for the lunar New Year starting on that date. And does a gay Mardi Gras have to be on the actual day of 'Mardi Gras'? Sydney is one of the most celebrated around the world. It runs next year from 14 February till the closing Parade on March 7.

I don't believe this is being slated as a Gay Mardi Gras.