Much of Thai public life runs on two calendars at once. The civil year begins on 1 January and counts years in the Buddhist Era, 543 ahead of the Western count, while the great religious days follow the moon and move from year to year. The public holidays guide lists the dates for this year and next; the Buddhist calendar explains why they move.
Buddhism is the religion of most Thais and the reason for much of what a visitor sees: the saffron robes on the morning alms round, the shoes left at a temple door, the small offerings at a spirit house. Buddhism in Thailand covers the temple, the monks, making merit and how to behave as a guest. Beside it sits an older layer of guardian spirits, seen most plainly in Chiang Mai’s Pu Sae Ya Sae offering, and the rain rites of the northeast’s rocket festival.
Food is the easiest way in. Thai food goes region by region and gives the words to order in Thai, with the script and a romanisation, so you can ask for less chilli and be understood. And three traditions that travel well beyond Thailand have their own guides: Muay Thai, traditional Thai massage and ruesi dat ton, the hermit exercises sold abroad as Thai yoga.
The guides are written for visitors and residents who want to understand what they are seeing, not for scholars, and they keep to what can be checked. Where a page gives a date or a fee, it says when it was last checked and where the figure comes from.