Thai Children’s Day 2023
In addition to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, there’s also a Children’s Day! Every year, Children’s Day celebrates kids all over the world, but different countries observe the holiday on different days.
Though it’s not a public holiday in Thailand, Children’s Day or Wan Dek is celebrated annually on the second Saturday of January. This year, Children’s Day falls on January 14th, 2023.
Wan Dek in Thailand
Source: Other edge / Shutterstock.com
Thai people celebrate Thai Children’s Day by taking their kids out for fun activities, often with an educational component. Many public services and establishments, such as the Dusit Zoo, Thai Red Cross Museum, Museum Siam, Government House, Parliament, and various military bases of the Thai navy, army, and air force organize special events for children. The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC), for example, is holding a book reading and performance based on the children’s book “The Rabbit Listened” as part of their Kid’s Calendar 2023 activity series.
This day is a perfect occasion for families to spend quality time together. On Children’s Day, children under 140 cm tall and below the age of 14 can ride the MRT and BTS railway systems in Bangkok for free!
The Children’s Day motto
As part of a long-standing tradition since 1956, the Prime Minister delivers a new Children’s Day motto every year. This year, the Children’s Day motto as selected by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha translates as “Understanding responsibility, achieving discipline, and aspiring to good deeds.”
Previous mottos have included “Good children are diligent and crave for learning, for a bright future” and “Thai children in the new normal era unite all Thais to build the nation with loyalty and virtue”.