Travelling can be an enjoyable experience. But it can also be very stressful. It would be best to consider many things, from deciding on a destination to planning all the fun activities you want to try. If you want a destination for your 2023 vacation, consider having a great time at Songkran Festival in Thailand.
The Songkran Festival is a celebration of the Thai New Year, Thus, making it a national holiday. Songkran is borrowed from the Sanskrit word Sankranti. It means astrological passage, and it also refers to the reincarnation of the sun. The Songkran festival is a Buddhist celebration from April 13 to April 16. However, there are times when official government announcements are made to modify the celebration date.
The water festival is another name for the Songkran Festival. It honors water as a tradition for cleansing negativity from the previous year. During Songkran, people participate in a customary water-pouring ritual representing cleansing bad luck and misdeeds from one’s life. Some people also include plants in the ceremonial water.
The celebration of water is pertinent on many levels of the event since April is the warmest month of the year. Thailand Songkran festival is sometimes observed differently than in the past, though. The nation goes to the streets in major cities. Numerous street parties and water battles take place in cities like Bangkok.
Offices and banks are closed for three days because it is a national holiday. Many individuals use this as an excuse to travel and see their family. The Thai people engage in additional significant events throughout this week in addition to customary water rites and public celebrations. A lot of people will use this opportunity to visit their local temple. Some people could also clean their homes in the spring each year.
Many families get up early on the second day of Songkran to participate in customary Buddhist ceremonies. They provide Buddhist monks with alms. They also participate in a practice known as “bathing the Buddha image,” in which devoted adherents wash the Buddha images at their residences and local temples.
Three Days of Songkran Festival
1st Day: Song Nam Phra (‘Pouring Water on Monks’) is the day’s highlight, with massive water fights with water guns throughout the day and nationwide processions featuring Buddha images.
2nd Day: The second day is called Wan Nao, and it is Thailand’s New Year’s Eve. This day is also their National Family Day, and everyone is encouraged to spend time with their families.
3rd Day: The third day begins the Thai New Year. It is also called Wan Payawan, which means Bathing Buddha. It is a fun day with water fights, concerts, street foods, and many other fun activities.
Activities During the Songkran Festival
Songkran festival offers interesting activities for locals and tourists to enjoy. Here are some of them:
Water Splashing
Water fights are a significant component of the Songkran Festival. Splashing one another with water or by using water guns is an excellent method to stay cool during Thailand’s warmest month of April. Large groups assemble to “battle” with water using pipes, buckets, and water pistols on streets that have been blocked to traffic and turned into arenas. Thai people are fond of these activities. Younger generations adore it, and foreigners are invited to participate as well!
Cleaning
Like how Chinese people clean their homes, schools, temples, workplaces, and other public spaces to greet the New Year, Thai people do the same. During the Songkran Festival, most Thai people like offering food presents to the monks at the temples and paying respects to their ancestors. After accepting the food presents, the monks impart some sound advice to them.
Merit Making
A significant component of the Songkran Festival in Thailand includes merit-making activities. After all, it is a traditional Buddhist festival. Thais visit temples to listen to Buddhist sermons from the monks while providing them with food and clothing. Preserved foods, fruits, prepared meals, and fresh monk robes are among the offerings made to the monks.
Releasing Birds and Fish
Thai people see this practice of granting freedom to living creatures as a part of their Buddhist belief that doing so will bring good fortune back to them. This includes releasing fish and birds back to their natural habitats.
Folk Performances and Games
For entertainment during Songkran, folk performances and games are planned. Street parades and Thai beauty pageant events feature traditional attire in Thailand. The Songkran Festival also features street food vendors, Thai dance performances, flag ceremonies, and boat races.
Building Sand Pagodas
During the Songkran Festival, Thai folks carry some sand to temples to build sand pagodas. Sand pagodas can be constructed, or temples can be repaired using the sand. During Songkran Festival in Thailand, helping with temple upkeep and supporting monks generally is considered good practice.
Best Spots to Celebrate Songkran Water Festival 2023
If you want to join Songkran celebration in Thailand, here are the best spots where you can witness Songkran water festival:
Bangkok
If you want to celebrate the famous Thailand water festival on their New Year, the capital of Thailand offers something unique. Thousands of people congregate on Silom, a 5-kilometer (3-mile) long street in the heart of the city, to spout water on one another with whatever they can find, from buckets to water guns.
On April 13, a statue of the Buddha is on display on Sanam Luang, across from the Grand Palace. People will be able to shower water on the figure for good luck as it is being carried around. People construct sand pagodas and travel to temples to “make merit.”
You may participate in traditional Songkran activities by visiting the temples: people go there to give food to the monks, pay reverence to the Buddha and their ancestors, and sprinkle fragrant water on the Buddha statues to obtain virtue.
Chiang Mai
The largest Songkran celebrations are held in the lovely town of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Water fights are everywhere in the city, so if you find yourself close to the Ping River, canals, or lakes, be ready to be thoroughly drenched! You can participate in a parade on April 12 that features Buddha statues from all over the city and is led by minstrels and locals.
Buddhists travel and many people gather to a wat (a Buddhist monastery) on the 13th and 14th to pray and provide food to the monks. They use fragrant water to clean the Buddha sculptures inside their homes.
As restitution for all the sand removed from under people’s feet during the year, people bring sand to their monastery. A stupa constructed of sand is adorned with vibrant flags. People honor their elders and ancestors on the 15th.
Pattaya
Pattaya, also referred to as the party capital of Thailand, hosts the country’s longest holiday celebrations. On every Pattaya beach road on the morning of April 13, the water splashing festival starts. Foam machines and live music stages are put up to draw attendees to the exciting party. Loud music is played all day long on moving pick-up trucks employed as mobile stages on the highway. Both natives and visitors rejoice during Songkran.
Celebrating Songkran Festival allows people, especially visitors, to experience Thailand’s unique culture. What are you waiting for? Book your trip now and explore the rich culture that Thailand offers!
