Songkran

Every year in April an incredible water- throwing festival takes place in Thailand to celebrate the New Year.

Songkran, as it is known, consists of three days of parades, beauty contests, traditional meals and colourful costumes.

It's also a carnival time in which the drenching of passers- by with water from buckets, pitchers, water- guns and balloons and hose pipes are used.

It's also a much more public, street- based affair than more family- oriented celebrations like Chinese New Year. This means it's an ideal festival to visit as a tourist, a festival you will not forget.

An ancient festival which seems to have originated as a fertility ceremony amongst the pre- Buddhist Dtai people, Songkran is also influenced by the ancient Hindu astrological calendar: the word itself signifies a shift of the sun from one side of the Zodiac to another.

The celebration of water during the festival is a common feature of the agricultural cultures of South East Asia. In the past, scented water was used mainly for blessings and paying respect to the elders; nowadays, it's more of a free- for- all, but a lot of fun.

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Contact Information

Songkran
water throwing
festival Thailand