New Year - but not yet!

Did you think that the New Year had already begun?  Not for the Karen - the Karen year 2752 officially begins on Saturday 12th January.  So Friday 11th January will see a variety of Karen New Year's Eve celebrations, including the one advertised below at the City Karen Baptist Church in Chiang Mai. 

You might have noticed the times on the poster - yes, they will be meeting at 6am on New Year's Day for a celebratory worship service!  Maybe your church could try that next year?

This weekend will not be the end of the New Year celebrations in Thailand, though.  The Chinese New Year on the 10th February will be observed by many Thais.  When we lived in Bangkok, we were surprised that more of our local shops closed up for Chinese New Year than for the Western New Year. 

And then for the big one - the Thai New Year, celebrating the beginning of the year 2556 (Buddhist Era), on April 13th.  After that, it's not so long until December 31st...