Culture & Religion

Located at the tip of a quiet peninsula, Songkhla is an old city of which the architectural style around the town shows clear signs of Chinese influence. The traditional festival here is influenced by Chinese culture also. During the full moon of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar the Chinese Lunar Festival is celebrated in September or October. Thais of Chinese ancestry make offerings to the Moon or Queen of the Heavens in gratitude for past and future fortune. Traditional festivities include lion and dragon dances, lantern processions and contests, displays and folk entertainment.

As one of the main communities of Muslim Thais, the fishermen inherited their ancestors’ culture and beliefs. One of the most outstanding and colorful traditions is the bright colorful boats called “korlae” which originated in Pattani. The boats are used as sail boats originally and they are now run with engines by fishermen. The characters depicted on the detailed design on the boats are the singha lion, the gagasura horned bird, payanak sea serpent and the garuda bird from Asian mythologies to please the sea spirits.

Archeological evidence from the ancient site of Sathing Phra north of Songkhla reveals that it was part of the powerful Srivijaya Empire which ruled southern Thailand from the 8-13th century and controlled the sea trade route. Archeological discoveries indicate influences from both Hinduism and Mahayana Buddism.

Back to Top