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The Lamphun Lamyai Festival
15
Aug
Aug
The Lamphun Lamyai Festival
A feast of delicious fruit
The Lamphun Lamyai Festival is an annual event that takes place in the town Lamphun, the capital of the province of the same name. This festival is also known as the Longan Fair or festival Lamyai is the Thai name for longan. Lamphun is the center of a large area of lamyai orchards. Thailand is one of the main longan producing countries in Southeast Asia.
The festival is the celebration of the lamyai harvest that takes place at the end of July and the beginning of August. It’s a great time of the year to be in Lamphun province. The trees are full of lamyai and there is a lot of activity everywhere. People are harvesting the trees and the lamyai drying places work at full capacity.
Lamyai is also known as Longan
The longan is a globose fruit that is about 2 – 2.5 cm in diameter. It has a thin and brittle rind, which is brown-red to brown yellow. The rind is covered with regular protuberances, somewhat similar to that of the litchi, but smaller. The flesh is translucent and sweet, and contains a single dark-brown seed. The botanical name is Euphoria Longan but is sometimes also called Nephelium longan or Dimocarpus longan. It is a tree that can reach up to 20 meters tall is native to Southeastern China, (Guangdong, Guangxi, the Hainan Area and Yunnan) to Thailand, Southwestern India and to Sri Lanka. The tree has an evergreen foliage. Leaves are alternate, compound and glossy. Young leaflets are red-green, and turn dark-green with age.
More about Lamyai
The longan is a globose fruit that is about 2 – 2.5 cm in diameter. It has a thin and brittle rind, which is brown-red to brown yellow. The rind is covered with regular protuberances, somewhat similar to that of the litchi, but smaller. The flesh is translucent and sweet, and contains a single dark-brown seed.The botanical name is Euphoria Longan but is sometimes also called Nephelium longan or Dimocarpus longan. It is a tree that can reach up to 20 meters tall and is native to Southeastern China, (Guangdong, Guangxi, the Hainan Area and Yunnan) to Thailand, Southwestern India and to Sri Lanka. The tree has an evergreen foliage. Leaves are alternate, compound and glossy. Young leaflets are red-green, and turn dark-green with age.
The health benefits of Lamyai
The fruit is generally eaten fresh. It can also be canned, just like litchees or rambutans. It can also be used as an ingredient for drinks and liqueurs.
In Thailand there are several longan varieties such as:
‘Biew Kiew’ – rather productive, relatively late, with good quality fruits.
‘Diamond River’ – good fruits of medium size, relatively early. named ‘Phetsakon’ in Thailand.
‘Sri Chompoo’ – Large fruits of good quality.
Lamyai is very healthy!
The white flesh is extremely healthy as it contains several minerals and vitamins including iron, phosphorous, potassium and magnesium plus large amounts of vitamins A and C. Fresh longan have a relatively short shelf life, however, the flesh can be dried or canned and has become one of Thailand’s leading fruit exports.
Herbalists and practitioners of traditional medicines are well acquainted with the special properties of the longan fruit. It’s regarded as a blood tonic, which nurtures the heart and beautifies the skin and Chinese women, for at least 2,000 years, have recorded the use of longan in love potions!
Visiting the Lamphun Lamyai Festival
During the Lamyai Festival, it is a great time to visit Lamphun and its extensive lamyai orchards. Harvesting will be in full swing. Lamphun is a very interesting destination and there are many sights to see.
