Valentine’s Day celebrated in many ways across the nation

By The Nation

 

 

AS THE modern tradition of Valentine’s Day celebrations took hold in Thailand yesterday, couples professed their love at romantically decorated tourist attractions and registered their marriages in front of joyous witnesses.

 

Many couples tied the knot officially at a district office with auspicious name such as Bangkok’s Bang Rak “district of love” or Bang Sue “district of honesty”.

 

 

At Bang Rak, the capital city’s most popular celebration site, district officials not only provided a Valentine’s Day marriage registration service but also organised a lucky draw with impressive prizes including “gold marriage certification” for 10 lucky couples.

 

Sukanya Khamdee, 30, a company employee, said she and her boyfriend reserved first place in the queue by arriving at 11pm on Tuesday, becoming the first couple to register their marriage on Valentine’s Day. 

 

By 4am, the grounds in front of the central post office building, which was decorated to reflect the nostalgic period of the King Rama V era, were crowded – as they are every year. By 8am, nearly 200 couples were waiting in the queue. 

 

Bang Rak district chief director Phakkaporn Sa-nguansak said officials were prepared to register 10 couples at a time, with registrations from 7.30am to 4pm.

 

In Chon Buri, 99 couples were married on elephant back at the famous attraction Suan Nong Nuch, where there was a grand wedding procession zigzagging through “Dinosaur Valley” featuring mocked-up prehistoric scenes.

 

 

In Si Sa Ket, 49 couples were married at the Mor-E-Daeng Cliff in the Khao Phra Viharn National Park amid the romantic atmosphere warmed by the first “three countries’ sunlight”, referring to the park’s proximity to Cambodia and Laos. 

 

The grand event, titled “dreamy weddings in the first sunlight of three countries”, at 7am was witnessed by Si Sa Ket Governor Thawat Suraban, officials, merchants, the couples’ guests and members of the public. The kilometre-long wedding procession of four Thai ethnic cultures was led by three elephants to bring the couples to the Mor-E-Daeng Cliff where the marriage registrations took place before the traditional wedding-blessing ritual.

 

 

In the North, Buttree Puedpong, a taekwondo athlete who won a silver medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and her groom, Pen-Ek Karaket, who won a silver medal in taekwando at the 2010 Asian Games, joined 12 other couples who professed their love for each other in hot air balloons over Chiang Rai’s Muang district after being married.

 

 

The special event was part of Singha Park Chiang Rai Balloon Fiesta 2018 held from February 14-18. The festival will see 35 fantasy balloons from 16 countries including the United States, Canada and Switzerland compete for the Bt500,000 top prize. Another highlight will be a spectacular 100-strong khon performance held from 6pm-7pm on February 16 and 17. Admission to the show is free.

 

 

To join in the spirit of the occasion, traffic cops in Khon Kaen and Sakhon Nakhon handed out roses and heart-shaped candy instead of traffic tickets – but only for Valentine’s Day.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30338862

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-15

 

I wonder what the Que will be like at the local ampor later this month, when the divorce's have to be signed

It was that good Thai Valentines day True on Line in Udon was out of action all day until Midnight,  Amazing--but TRUE

Valentine's day is a Western thing, not Thai....Why do the Thai want to celebrate ALL the parties of the whole world? They even celebrate new year 3!! times...and have their own Thai new year which is Songkran...

47 minutes ago, Thian said:

Valentine's day is a Western thing, not Thai....Why do the Thai want to celebrate ALL the parties of the whole world? They even celebrate new year 3!! times...and have their own Thai new year which is Songkran...

Any excuse for a drink--hold a mike--volume high on speakers--all for extra money.  example Udon Tesco extra, Xmas trimmings, Xmas songs, Xmas hats. Went to buy Xmas cards---NO HAVE.    STUPID SOMETIME.

4 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

I wonder what the Que will be like at the local ampor later this month, when the divorce's have to be signed

Ladies leave to find a bigger ship, men leave to find a smaller harbour.  Here it's called free style.

That last photo of the guy with huge pen

 

 

 

36 minutes ago, ginjag said:

Any excuse for a drink--hold a mike--volume high on speakers--all for extra money.  example Udon Tesco extra, Xmas trimmings, Xmas songs, Xmas hats. Went to buy Xmas cards---NO HAVE.    STUPID SOMETIME.

We went into a bookshop in the mall to buy christmascards, 150 baht a piece....so i sent digital cards to the family which were free 

Call me a killjoy, but everything in this story and the above photos makes me wanna puke.

35 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Call me a killjoy, but everything in this story and the above photos makes me wanna puke.

Time to take your happy pills, i think.

Each to their own, if folk want to enjoy valentines day, let them not hurting/murdering anyone.