20 hours ago, WineOh said:

but my natural curiosity cannot help but wonder just what is actually behind it all?

chinese new year is nothing new here.. just something else to celebrate... 

 

It's been a tough year w/covid and all... any chance to be festive is pleasant... holidays like Christmas etc are for everyone... 

 

Get your inner Ox on.. 

8 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

 

It's been a tough year w/covid and all... any chance to be festive is pleasant

Yes, indeed it has.

Millions have been thrust into poverty,

Millions more have lost their jobs and livelihoods.

Millions of businesses have closed for good.

and millions more still to come...

 

All of the above I lay at CHINAS door!

1 minute ago, WineOh said:

Yes, indeed it has.

Millions have been thrust into poverty,

Millions more have lost their jobs and livelihoods.

Millions of businesses have closed for good.

and millions more still to come...

 

All of the above I lay at CHINAS door!

you forgot to mention illness and death... ??

A large number of Thais have Chinese origins. It has always been big, certainly in China Town.

Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia to name a few has always been a public holiday in fact 

a Chinese week with 2 days holiday in some.

Good way to entice a bit of internal spending, same as stupid Valentines Day

Simple really: it is done purely to annoy intensely all the sinophobes here on TVF!

18 hours ago, CharlieH said:

the biggest Chinese population outside of mainland China

Is that a fact!?  Thanks for the information.  

18 hours ago, WineOh said:

Chinese new year is NOT their festival.

Yes it is, since it is everyone’s festival by now.   Celebrated (at least in cities) throughout civilization.   

Just as long as they celebrate at home to stop the pandemic reoccuring. Can do without the firecrackers. Cause of accidents and the odd heart attack as well as driving my dog nuts!

1 minute ago, PGSan said:

Yes it is, since it is everyone’s festival by now.   Celebrated (at least in cities) throughout civilization.   

I'm dressed all in black today.

17 hours ago, tifino said:

just call it the Lunar New Year

No, please do not!  This is ambiguous since there are many distinct such, the major variants being these: Muslim, using a pure lunar calendar; South Asian, from which our own Songkran (no longer lunar) New Year derives; and the Chinese, from their lunisolar calendar.

7 minutes ago, WineOh said:

I'm dressed all in black today.

Whatever turns you on!  

Nothing sudden,  Lunar New Year has been around for millenia, and celebrated across Asia for equally as long

Many Thai are of Chinese descent as well

20 hours ago, WineOh said:

errr, correct me if i'm wrong but this is THAILAND.

Last time I checked I wasn't living in CHINA.

 

Why on earth is chinese new year now a public holiday in Thailand?

what the hell is going on!

You probably weren't living in Scotland at the New Year, but Thailand has been celebrating it for at least the past 20 years. It is not Thailand's 'New Year' until Songkan, I believe.....

New Year is also a Public holiday. 

Christmas Day is also fast becoming a Public style holiday as well, particularly in Private and International schools.

1 minute ago, Bundooman said:

Christmas Day is also fast becoming a Public style holiday as well, particularly in Private and International schools.

not officially recognized by the 'government' yet though?

unlike CNY...

16 hours ago, Felt 35 said:

a new foreign public holiday.

What on earth is one of them??? 

18 hours ago, Pmbkk said:

The Chinese influence will continue to grow. 

Can't grow a great deal, Taskin is Thai Chinese, a quite recent influential.

My wife's family are 2nd generation and they celebrate all the traditions, her niece studied Sun Yat-sen uni.

 

Despite the financial and economic crisis, Thai Chinese are estimated to own 65 percent of the total banking assets, 60 percent of the national trade, 90 percent of all local investments in the commercial sector, 90 percent of all local investments in the manufacturing sector, and 50 percent of all local investments in the banking and financial services sector.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_Chinese#:~:text=Thailand has the largest overseas,percent of the Thai population.

15 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

where whites don't dominate. 

Who are they? The typical Chinese complexion is regarded as “white” around here! 

8 hours ago, WineOh said:

They are also forcing kids in public and private schools to join in and for a bit of china lovin, regardless if they have chinese heritage or not..

 

I call that indoctrination. 

The next major festival is Qing Ming at the start of April.

No doubt you will start complaining about the children being forced to help the parents clean up the graveyards.

Chinese traditions are primarily based on respect, something you obviously fail to understand.

1 minute ago, sandyf said:

The next major festival is Qing Ming at the start of April.

No doubt you will start complaining about the children being forced to help the parents clean up the graveyards.

Chinese traditions are primarily based on respect, something you obviously fail to understand.

Pity those traditions of respect never extended to animals and wildlife, might be less rampant diseases coming out way if they had

4 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Chinese traditions are primarily based on respect, something you obviously fail to understand.

mate, stop it please..

i'm in hysterics ere ???? ???? 

19 hours ago, WineOh said:

Chinese new year is NOT their festival.

 

the clue is in the name.

 

I suggest you dont come to malaysia. Holidays for malaysians, chinese, indians etc etc.

 

They sure have a lot of public holidays here, but you wouldnt leave your house to enjoy it.

2 hours ago, WineOh said:

Because they only celebrate it in VIETNAM.

What does this mean?  It simply has a different name in Vietnam: same noon, same newness!  This particular new moon is celebrated as the start of the year in many cultures.  Other new moons mark “New Year” in other cultures: having a local name for it does not make this new moon any less universal and cross-cultural. 

20 minutes ago, WineOh said:

not officially recognized by the 'government' yet though?

unlike CNY...

Because its only minor. Cny is major considering the number of chinese.

6 minutes ago, WineOh said:

mate, stop it please..

i'm in hysterics ere ???? ???? 

Did a chinaman steal your bike when you were 10?

5 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Did a chinaman steal your bike when you were 10?

No. 

 

I stole his wife tho.

 

4 minutes ago, WineOh said:

No. 

 

I stole his wife tho.

 

She must be old now, trade her in.

 

You could try the north pole, you vould live happily there never celebrating anything.

 

By the way, its not a celebration all of a sudden, been happening for years. Go out and enjoy the smiles of people having fun.

22 hours ago, WineOh said:

Never seen it before.

 

Could be something to do with either the extra day off or the fact that festivities will be low this year.  Possibly a combination of the two.

 

Day off so extra marketing to drive sales.  Not much travel so trying to appeal to those that would like to do something.  Likely combined together.

5 hours ago, toofarnorth said:

Wifey just came back from the city limits to tell me the banks are closed .

She is not the only person who found their bank was shut today

I understand CNY and various thais are related at some stage in their existence to Chinese...but surely it does not warrant another bank holiday

21 hours ago, Stocky said:

They do it the same ever year down here, hasn't changed in the 27 years of my experience.

Same here in Khon Kaen. No different than any other year. 

 

The government, in their infinite wisdom, decided to make it a holiday this year under the mistaken idea that another long weekend would make people travel and spend money they don't have.

13 minutes ago, Retfed50 said:

Same here in Khon Kaen. No different than any other year. 

 

The government, in their infinite wisdom, decided to make it a holiday this year under the mistaken idea that another long weekend would make people travel and spend money they don't have.

apparently the beaches are empty, as are the bars.

 

another daft idea from those in charge.