Songkran
Next: April 13, 2027
Thai New Year, celebrated with water.
The story
Where it comes from
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year, fixed since 1940 on 13 to 15 April, when the sun moves into Aries in the Hindu-derived solar calendar. The name comes from the Sanskrit saṅkrānti, 'passage'. Related new-year water festivals fall on the same days in Laos (Pi Mai), Cambodia (Chaul Chnam Thmey), Myanmar (Thingyan) and among the Dai of Yunnan.
How it's celebrated
The original rite is gentle: pouring scented water over the hands of elders and over Buddha images to wash away the old year. In the streets it has become the largest water fight in the world, with buckets, hoses and water pistols in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Families clean their homes, visit temples, make merit and build sand pagodas.
Did you know
- UNESCO added Songkran to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2023.
- Chiang Mai's celebrations traditionally run the longest, up to a week.
The greeting
สวัสดีปีใหม่ · Sawasdee Pee Mai
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