One of the most fun things we did in Chiang Mai was to attend the Miss Chiang Mai Mardi Gras contest, and it was by accident. We were returning from dinner that night when Carlos noticed that something was about to start on the outdoor stage where they had had a lot of different acts over the four day festival. He wanted to stay to see what was about to begin. Imagine our surprise when the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies, local celebrities, began introducing young girls who came out and paraded on the stage. By the second contestant we had figured out it was a contest of some sort, but because most of the girls (and all of the finalists) wore costumes, we weren't sure what was considered by the judges during the voting. Each of the girls had her own music to walk out to, and each one gave the audience a wai (placing the hands as if in prayer and bowing the head) and then introduced herself to the audience the first time they were introduced. The second round, during which all contestants participated, each one spoke to the audience for a few minutes did some sort of short act. Only a handful of them spoke anything at all in English so we had no idea what they were saying, but I believe that some of them, at least, had dressed according to a favorite poem or story. The girls with the wings made me decide that. The third round was that of the semi-finalists when the girls came out again and spent more time showing themselves on the stage. The three finalists were quickly selected, and then each of them was given a question which she answered. At that point, we were ready to stay until the end, but then we saw the table being set up with at least twenty trophies on it. We realized that they were going to award various categories, and that Miss Mardi Gras would be the final announcement. Our feet hurt from standing in one position for over two hours, so we decided to go home. We checked the results on the internet the next day. Between Carlos and me we took over 500 photos, and of those I selected those that showed each of the contestants in the best light, as well as close ups of the finalists. So here is the Miss Chiang Mai Mardi Gras contest.
Click a picture to see a larger view.
The Master and Mistress of Ceremonies
The Contestants
The Judges
Some Pandas Join the Audience
The Semi-Finalists
The Finalists
The Winner
