The Best Place on Earth to Celebrate Chinese New Year
Bangkok, where the combination of Thai enthusiasm for festivals and Chinese celebrations for New Year fuseMore than any other city on earth, Bangkok delights in a clash of cultures. From the sublime to the ridiculous, from the seedy to the sophisticated, all life is here. There are no direct flights from Manchester but there are a number of intriguing stop-over destinations to visit en route or you can choose a flight with a short refuelling break if you prefer.
There is an enormous Thai-Chinese community in Bangkok and they celebrate Chinese New Year in the traditional way every February with a wealth of parties, parades and fireworks. This is the time when the city really comes alive, when wearing red doesn't signify a particular party allegiance, and when visitors can gain a true appreciation of the cultural influences that run through Bangkok's cultural life. The Chinese New Year festivities are a two day feast of colour, dancing, music and food. There are Lion Dances and Chinese Opera, dragon parades and cultural performances. Most of the celebrations take place along Chinatown's Yaowarat and Charon Krung Roads although the party atmosphere infects the whole city.
For a lot of visitors, the highlight of the festival is the food. There are copious quantities of fabulous Chinese food on offer- from Peking duck to noodles, from crispy pork to egg-fried rice. If the mania of the streets becomes too much, repair to one of the city's five star hotels which will usually offer a Chinese New Year special dinner, allowing diners to experience the rarefied atmosphere at a bargain price.
