Songkran is a traditional new year festival held throughout Thailand. Songkran is celebrated on April 13-15 of each year. April 13 is Maha Songkran day or the day to mark the end of the old year. April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok which is the day the new years begins. To celebrate the Songkran festival, people from rural areas working in Thailand cities travel to celebrate Songkran with their family. Most foreigners remember Songkran for the throwing of water, however, visiting a temple to make merits is equally important.

During Songkran, Thai people and monks clean Buddha images in the temples with water and Thai perfume. Thai people believe cleaning the Buddha statues and images will bring good luck in the new year. Songkran Festival is also a time when Thai people offer food to the monks who care for the temples. Another religious ceremony during Songkran is the release of caged birds and fish. This is done in memory of beloved ancestors and also as a way to make merit.

Young people pour lustral water onto the palms of their elders as a gesture of respect and give them some gifts. In return, the elders give blessings to the youngsters. The young boys and girls below in Chiang Mai, Thailand, are sprinkling water onto the palms of their elders - notice the gentle delivery method used here - squirt guns! Songkran in the cities is brutal and often unforgiving to first timers. However, if you attend, you will notice all ages and walks of life, Thai and foreigners, joining in on the fun. Songkran is both a country wide water fight and a time for Thailand traditions.

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Tags: april, chiang mai, festival, new year, People, pictures, songkran, thailand

This entry was posted on Monday, May 25th, 2009 at 12:51 am and is filed under Chiang Mai, Thailand, Festivals, People. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.