Bangkok: Chinatown is bustling with activity as Thai people of Chinese descent flock to buy offerings for religious ceremonies. The atmosphere on Yaowarat Road, the day before Chinese New Year, is bustling with activity as many Thai people of Chinese descent and tourists come out to shop for offerings for the festival.

According to Thai News Agency, the atmosphere on "Pay Day" before Chinese New Year along Yaowarat Road in Sampanthawong District, Bangkok, was bustling from early morning. Many Thai people of Chinese descent and tourists came out to shop for offerings such as pork, duck, chicken, fruits, auspicious sweets, and paper money and gold paper, in preparation for paying respects to ancestors and deities according to tradition.

Shops along both sides of the old market are fully stocked with goods, especially popular offerings for religious ceremonies such as ducks, chickens, steamed rice cakes, and sticky rice cakes, as well as fresh seafood. This year, the shopping atmosphere is starting to liven up, but still less than last year. It is expected that people will continue to spend money throughout the day.

The "Paying Day" is an important day preceding "Worship Day" and "Visiting Day," respectively. It's a time for family reunions, preserving cultural traditions, and starting new things auspiciously. Security measures and traffic management are in place by officials to facilitate shopping in this historic commercial district.

During the Chinese New Year festival, from February 15-17, 2026, a period when Thai people of Chinese descent traditionally go out to shop and prepare items for ancestral worship ceremonies, Police General Thatchai Pitanilabutr, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, has instructed police nationwide to strictly implement security measures to prevent and suppress crime, and to ensure the safety of people's lives and property effectively.

For "Payday," February 15, 2026, instructions have been given to increase patrols in high-risk areas, especially markets, gold shops, banks, and convenience stores, to prevent property crimes, as this is a period of high consumer spending. Patrol officers have also been instructed to regularly patrol community areas and major tourist attractions.