Samui was probably first settled about 1500 years ago by fisherman using the island as a base to fish its rich waters. The first officially recorded mention of Samui was approximately 1500 AD, when maps drawn by scribes of China's Ming Dynasty show and label the islands. The Unearthing of various ceramics and porcelains is further evidence that the Chinese settled here.Many migrants from the island of Hainan - now part of the Peoples Republic of China have settled in the northern villages and their influence can still be seen in Nathon and Maenam. Muslim fishermen settled in the South and East and the small village of Hua Thanon is still a strong Muslim enclave. During the 17th and 18th centuries most of what is now Thailand was feudal and the islands would have come under the protection of the rulers of Nakhon Si Thammarat, which at that time was the main power in southern Thailand. More!

 

PEOPLE & LIFESTYLE


Official Samui records reflect  a local population  of around  40.000  inhabitants   who are known as chao Samui ("Samui folks") rather than Chao Thai, indicating their pride in their local culture and ethnic  identity. The residents of Samui are Thais who migrated from the  mainland including   Muslims from Pattani who are  s ettled  in  the  fishing village   of      Hua Thanon    and brought   with them    the bright colorful boats.  Life in    Samui is as easy-going   and  relaxed as can be, and the Samui residents are notably tolerant of even the oddest   characteristics.   Shoes should be   taken      off when entering a private     home. Thais are of cool nature  and therefore  remain patient even  under hard times   and visitors who wish to get along with the people here should do the same. A smile for which Thai people are known for, would get you  a lot further  than a  frown,   even when you are   annoye

 

RELIGION

    Thai law has  a number   of  special sections concerning  religious  offenses, and these cover not only  Buddhism, the religion of the  majority of the people, but also any  other  faiths represented in the kingdom It is,   for instance,   unlawful to commit nay act, by any means whatever, to   an object  or  a   place of   religious worship of any community  in a manner likely   to  insult   the religion,   similarly, "whoever  causes  any disturbance at an assembly     lawfully    engaged    in  the performance of religious worship or  religious  ceremonies"   is subject to punishment, as well as "whoever dresses or uses a symbol   showing that  he is a priest or novice, holy man or clergyman of any religion unlawfully in order to make  another person believe he is such person." More!

 

FESTIVAL

Songkran : means to pass or to relocate. Songkran Day  is determined by  counting the months according to the solar calendar of India  that finds when the sun exits  Pisces and enters Aries, which is 13 April. Therefore,   Thais regard that day as the Maha Songkran Day The  objective of the   Songkran Festival or the   Thai New Year is to bring good luck at the start of the     New Year by net       making in the morning,   Bathe Buddha images, receive blessings  from  respected  elder,    and joyfully throwing  water on one another. In addition, there is the   tradition of taking  sand into the  temple to build sand pagodas as a way to pay homage to  Lord Buddha.    This stems   from the belief  that the building  of a pagoda creates immense merit and that it pays back Buddhism by returning to the temple sand that is stuck to the  feet when one leaves the  compound.   Colorful activities that are part of the festival include a Miss Songkran pageant, parades and entertainment.

Loi Krathong :  all  Asians originally subsisted  on agriculture and,  therefore, have  always  had  a  strong     bond with water.     The  Loi Krathong Festival  is a ritual  that is  held to  ask for  forgiveness and pay respect     to waterways that are vital to agriculture.    It takes place on the full moon night  of the twelfth lunar month when the water level    is high   and the climate cool.   The Loi Krathong Festival differs in character and format  from one area to another, such as the Loi Krathong Festival in Sukhothai, Loi Krathong Sai in Tak and   Yi peng festival  in  Chiang Mai.

 

SAMUI'S FRUITY


Visiting Thailand and eating only the fruit you know is like traveling to Italy and eating only spaghetti. Just as the Italians have perfected dozens of variations of pasta, the Thais have cultivated an intriguing  selection of fresh  fruits  not ound in most Western    produce      sections. Instead  of a  slice of  pineapple, why not try a mangosteen floret? Opt for papaya  over watermelon for  a  change.    Rather  than  a regular old banana,   seek out a durian    or jackfruit.    Then of course    there    are   rambutan, pomelo, custard apples,   rose apples,     mimusop,    tamarind, guavas, mangoes the list goes on, depending on the season, but you get the idea. More!

 

CLIMATE

The climate of Samui is tropical and therefore warm throughout the year. At the same time it is dominated by the monsoon winds that bring seasonal changes from dry to wet.  There are  two very hot periods of weather on Samui,  the first between March to June,  when the average  temperatures range   from 34 to 38 degrees   Celsius  and  only  the  occasional tropical thunderstorm  brings  relief  from  the  heat.   It is a lso  very  hot  between July to October   with  occasional  showers  but these hardly last more than an hour. The months from November to February   are  generally   cool enough  to  spend  more  time  enjoying outdoor   activities.     Although this  is  officially  the  rainy  season,   you  will   probably nonetheless see a good deal of sun and clear skies,   as tropical rain showers tend to last not for long.

 

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