Northern cuisine

• Nam Prik Ong is a type of chili paste which is made of minced pork and tomatoes. It is usally eaten with soft-boiled vegetables, pork crackling or deep-fried crunchy rice cakes.
• Nam Prik Noom meaning in English Chili Paste Young Man, is another kind of paste that is extremely popular in the north and eaten also by Thais of all regions. It is often eaten with pork crackling.
• Sai Ua is a local Chiang Mai sausage that is very aromatic and spicy and is usually eaten with sticky rice. Kaeng meaning curries are not made of coconut milk in the north.
• Kaeng Hang-Le is northern-style pork curry
• Kaeng Om is a spicy curry consisting of intestines
• Kaeng Khae is a spicy curry consisting of vegetables.
• Khanom Chin Nam Ngiao is a traditional noodle dish with chicken of the North.
• Khao Soi is another popular noodle dish which can be made from chicken, pork or beef. What makes it unique is that it contains coconut milk and it is garnished with garlic.

Songkran festival

Songkran Held in mid-April to celebrate the traditional Thai new year. Chiang Mai has become one of the most popular locations to visit for this festival. A variety of religious and fun-related activities (notably the good-natured city-wide water-fight) take place each year, along with parades and a Miss Songkran beauty competition. Flower Festival: A three-day festival held during the first weekend in February each year, this event occurs when Chiang Mai's temperate and tropical flowers are in full bloom. The festivities include floral floats, parades, traditional dancing shows, and a beauty contest.

Loi Kratong festival

Loi Kratong (known locally as Yi Peng): Held on a full-moon night in November. Every year thousands of people assemble floating banana-leaf containers (krathong) decorated with flowers and candles onto the waterways of the city to worship the Goddess of Water. Lanna-style hot-air lanterns (khom fai) are launched into the air. These are believed to help rid the locals of troubles and are also taken to decorate houses and streets.

Geography

Chiang Mai province is about 700 kilometres from Bangkok and is situated on the Mae Ping River basin and is 300 metres above sea level. Surrounded by high mountain ranges, it covers an area of approximately 20,107 square kilometres. The district is covered by many mountains, chiefly stretching in the south-north direction. The river Ping, one of the major tributaries of the Chao Phraya River, originates in the Chiang Dao mountains. The highest mountain of Thailand, the 2,565 meter high Doi Inthanon, is located in the district. Several national parks are in the district: Doi Inthanon, Doi Suthep-Pui, Mae Ping, Sri Lanna, Huay Nam Dang, Mae Phang, Chiang Dao.

The mountainous terrain is mainly jungle, parts of which are within national parks which are still fertile and verdant with plentiful flora and fauna. There are many sites and locations where tourists prefer to visit to study the lifestyle of the tribal people who live on high hills.

History

The city of Chiang Mai was capital of the Lanna kingdom after its founding in 1296. During the same period of time as the establishment of the Sukhothai Kingdom. From then, Chiang Mai not only became the capital and cultural core of the Lanna Kingdom, it was also the centre of Buddhism in northern Thailand and King Meng Rai built innumerable temples.

In 1599 the kingdom lost its independence and became part of the Ayutthaya kingdom. This ending the dynasty founded by King Meng Rai which had lasted for 300 years. The occupiers Burma, had a powerful Burmese influence on the architecture which can still be seen today. It was only in the late 18th century that Burma was finally defeated with the leadership of King Taksin.

In 1932 the province Chiang Mai became the second level subdivision of Thailand when the administrative unit of Monthon Phayap, the remains of the Lanna kingdom, was dissolved