The cultural traditions date back to the ancient Lanna Kingdom, with its rich heritage. Dances come from the area ethnic hilltribes which include Akha, Hmong, Yao, Lisu and Lahu. These ethnic groups have migrated and splintered and influenced each other for centuries along the northern border of modern-day Thailand, along with Burma amd Southern China.

Many types of dances can be seen, including traditional countryside dances for planting, harvesting, fishing, etc. The rural life of the area's ethnic groups has led to a diverse bunch of dances and a variety of colorful costumes.

Some of these dances, the Candle Dance and the Fingernail Dance (shown in the picture) were once sacred dances performed at court functions or festivals. Some of them were simply traditional ways of having fun and relaxing. For many years this eating and entertaining style has been customary in the northern areas of Thailand when hosting visitors.

It is important to have the musicians suitably dressed and playing the classical instruments, especially the Ranad. The various dances have different rhythms and must have the melodic, traditional music to match the graceful movements of the dancers. Traditional instruments are a mixture of percussion, and various stringed instruments that found their way from the Yunnan Province in southern China