S.P. Publishing Group Co., Ltd. 11/1 Soi 3 Bamrungburi Rd., T. Prasingh, A. Muang., Chiang Mai 50200 Tel. 053 - 814 455-6 Fax. 053 - 814 457 E-mail: guidelin@loxinfo.co.th

	---> MORE Features/Stories: _________________________________ Flowers used as a ceremonial donation The old way of celebrating the Thai New Year The costume of a Sang Long Lanna Musical Instruments In Thailand, small fish are pets since the old days Recapturing the Royal Past through postage stamps Chiang Mai Night Safari Souvenirs Naga collections A Quick Look at Thai Currency Six Thai compound words with ‘Mae’ The Chiang Mai International Food Festival 2011 Accessories provided by Thailand Cycling Alliance Seven things to know about Ligay Seven things for your Songkran Festival Wandering around Gad Mua Lanna’s Talismans The Chiang Mai Winter Fair What's to be found at Nimmanahaemin Art Promenade? Camping & Trekking equipment What we eat instead of meat - The Kaset Protein What’s inside the Tan Kuay Salak basket? Herbal Life The Podology Center Mind Over Matter: Edible insects Boxing Outfits: Check out the what and why of muay Thai Surviving the Heat! Chiang Mai Highlights Close Shave in Chiang Mai HALLOWED GROUND GOLFING WITH THE GHOSTS European Union Film Festival 2009 THAILAND'S SURVIVORS - Wonderful creatures BEYOND THE SEA - Chiang Mai's unseen industries THE ASTONISHING SUCCESS OF BEER LAO THE ANGRY JAO TEE - A true Chiang Mai story Kong Lor Cave: Remarkable Treasure in the Heart of Laos KHAOSAI GALAXY: THAILAND'S GREATEST WORLD CHAMPION The Wild Elephants of Laos Up Close and Personal A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: Chiang Mai's Sunday Market What on earth do Thai people have to smile about? CHIANG MAI - HUB OF INTERNATIONAL CRICKET FANCY A MAGICAL SPELL BY THE SEA? A DANISH HERO IN CHIANG MAI WHITE BOVINE SHINES at Four Seasons Resort Buffalo Camp Why Wai? Why do Thai people wai? 'Monk Chat': Interactive Visiting at Wat Suan Dok Doi Suthep Pui: Chiang Mai's Defining Mountain THE MYSTERIOUS WHITE CHEDI Weird and Wonderful Chiang Rai OF KITES AND KINGS - AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TOO Ganesha: God of Art and Remover of Obstacles CHINESE NEW YEAR THE CHIANG MAI WINTER FAIR: Don’t Miss It Five Fantastic Days in Chiang Mai European Union Film Festival 2007 Doing the Mae Sot Loop Firearm Fun in Chiang Mai HERMIT SUTHEP: Founding Spirit of Wat Doi Suthep CHIANG MAI PUB CRAWL II With an Addendum CHIANG MAI WEATHER GOES OFF THE GRAPH - AGAIN!! Chiang Mai Pub Crawl: A Shock and Awe Campaign Chiang Mai Shooting Club and ATV Park The Meditation Retreat THE AMAZING SURVIVAL OF A PRECIOUS TIGER ANGKOR AS IT WAS, ALIVE AND BUSTLING UP TO THE MAE SAI BORDER AND ACROSS TO TACHILEK THE WANDERINGS OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA LUANG PRABANG Dowager Duchess Sitting Pretty Exploring Kong Ta Walking Street ELEPHANTINE Coup for N. Thailand BIKING IN CHIANG MAI Durian - King of Fruits (but a bit of a ponker) Back to Battambang RESURRECTION OF THE CHIANG MAI SIXES TEXTILES WITH A HISTORY THE GENTLE ART OF WALKING THE (CHINESE) YEAR OF THE DOG AHEAD OF US EGGHEADS OF THE NORTH - REJOICE! The 4.p.m. from Chiang Mai to Bangkok Mountain-biking up Steep Doi Pui Close Shave in Chiang Mai A Trip to Nan: In Nature's Embrace The Rice Birds: Folktales from Thailand THE EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL 2005 UP THE PING RIVER with a paddle A Model Weekend at Lisu Lodge It's not full-scale War... it's just Paintball !!! TWO WHEELS UP DOI KHOM RONG The Spa Boom - What's in it for Men? THE LONG JOURNEY HOME Riverine Life in Thailand FINDING THE REAL THAILAND: at the Dalaat Pratu Gom Ang Khang in the rain SWAN LAKE IN CHIANG MAI: The Chiang Mai Ballet Academy THE GYMKHANA CLUB: In the Shade of the Big Tree LISTENING TO THE DEAD: The Chiang Mai Foreign Cemetery MOO KHA TA: A NEW WAY OF EATING CRICKET EXPERIMENT BACKPACKING IN VIENTIANE FLYING INTO HISTORY GETTING ABOUT IN CHIANGMAI SUBURBAN WILDLIFE: Nest-building ants DOCTOR WITH A DIFFERENCE THE STREET VENDORS: A story worth dying for AN EARLY MORNING STROLL DECORATING YOUR GARDEN WITH A BUDDHA KHRU BA SRIVICHAI: THE SAINT OF DOI SUTHEP OASIS IN THE CLOUDS: Rejuvenation in a Secret Valley

CHINESE NEW YEAR - February 18th 2007
ENTERING THE YEAR OF THE PIG

Just how many Thai are consciously Chinese in origins and culture is an interesting question that no-one can answer very satisfactorily - though you can get some idea from such scholarly works as G.W. Skinner's 'Chinese Society in Thailand'. But one indication in Chiang Mai is the number of shops and businesses that will close for a week or longer in the days before and after Sunday 18th. One thing is plain: not a lot of business is going to be done around this date, and a great deal of celebrating will be taking place, most of it behind closed doors.

From the Chinese standpoint, at all events, the year we are leaving this month is The Year of the Monkey, while the one we are coming into is The Year of the Pig. We consulted our local Chinese cultural expert, asking him what we could expect in the coming year, but there may have been a degree of cultural or linguistic confusion in the exchange, as what he came up with was not the year before us, but the character of the person born in this particular year - which does all the same provide an interesting insight into the lore involved. And here it is:

Born in the Year of the Pig
1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep.