Thailand’s traditional New Year with Songkran

Get ready to celebrate Thailand’s traditional New Year with Songkran. Songkran is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘move forward’. Thailand’s calendar year follows the Brahmin Solar Calendar and every year, the new year falls on April 13-15. This is one of the biggest and most important holidays in Thailand. The largest celebration is in Bangkok but you can find the exciting Songkran celebrations happening all around Thailand. Songkran is a time to reunite with family, pay respects, and ask for blessings for the new year. It’s well known for family reunions, temple visits, and house cleaning. The government has recognized Songkran as an official public holiday. Everyone is encouraged to return home to their birth city to be with their family for the celebration.

Songkran is a period filled with celebrations all around the country. The most significant feature of the holiday is water. During the holiday, water expresses different traditional Thai characteristics such as love and thankfulness. There are a variety of uses for water during Songkran. Water is typically sprinkled on images and statues of Buddha. This is symbolic for receiving blessings in the new year. Another act is sprinkling water on elder family members. This is an act of showing respect and gratefulness for them.

Many people also celebrate the arrival of the new year by cleaning. Thais can be seen cleaning everything from the own houses to public temples. Cleaning is a way of symbolically wiping anything old away and making a new slate for coming year.

On every day of the festival, you can also see a variety of traditional Thai performances and games being played.

Everyone is welcome to celebrate Songkran, even visitors to Thailand. Songkran is fun for everyone who participates. The celebrations have evolved to fun, public water fights. You’ll see many of the people in the city with water toys and water balloons to add a bit more fun to the festival. Water is essentially sprinkled on everyone and everything during the Songkran celebrations.

Everything about Songkran is symbolic. The holiday is celebrated for three days in April. Even the days of celebration have been given their own importance. The first day is called Rod Nam Dum Hua, or National Elderly Day. The second day of Songkran is called National Family Day. Each of these are important pillars of the holiday. Songkran’s popularity has even begun to expand to surrounding areas. You can find Songkran celebrations happening in parts of China, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

There are a lot of traditions and meanings behind Songkran and its celebrations. We have provided this infographic to help you better understand the holiday. It provides information such as ways to celebrate the holiday and the significance of each day.

This will be one of the most exciting times to visit Thailand. Everybody in the city is in a festive mood and creates a fun atmosphere in every city. Whether you’re in Bangkok or exploring one of the more rural parts of the city, the Songkran celebrations will surely be memorable.