Songkran, the Festival of Waters in Thailand

Sonkran Festival is a water festival that is celebrated in Thailand.
It is an annual festival that is celebrated to mark the New Year in Thailand. The festival takes place between 13^th to 15^thApril and is regarded as one of the largest water festivals in the world. The name Sonkran is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘amkranti’, which means passing or approaching.

The Festival

Basically the Songkran festival is related with the cleaning, purification and fresh starts. During this festival, people of Thailand clean their houses, the statutes of Buddha are gently washed with aromatic water and the elders are honored by gently pouring the water over their hands. If the water is sprinkled over the people, it signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, eventually bringing them good luck during the time of a New Year, which mostly signifies a new starting.

Even though the festival is related with religious values, the festival has emerged over the years as a fun event. It is one of the top attraction of Thailand, as tourists from different parts of the world come to this place, to enjoy the festival, during the 13^th to 15^thApril. Splashing the strangers with water has become the chief highlight of this festival. The splashing of water is taken in a cheerful attitude as the festival is celebrated during the hottest of the year, in Thailand, i.e. April. So getting soaked is quite refreshing during this time of the year, in the country.

The tradition of splashing water has gradually modified over the years, as nowadays The Thai people walk on the streets to indulge in water fights, while using containers of water or fancy water guns. The people celebrating the event even add ice to their water to up the ante. There are also some who stand by the side of the roads with a hose and soak anyone who passes by the street. As the procession and formalities of the festival end, a large crowd of people gather in the streets to party, dance and splash each other with water.

During this festival, you may also get covered in chalk. It is a custom originated from the monks to mark blessings. This custom of combining chalk with water is identical to the celebrations of Holi, which is celebrated in India.

As mentioned earlier, Songkran is related with the cleaning and purification on physical and spiritual grounds, throwing away of old and useless items is associated with this festival. Thais also make New Year resolutions during this event, to make a fresh start in their lives.

Places, Where the Festival Is Celebrate in Thailand

The perfect place to celebrate the festival in the country is Chiang Mai, but you will also find large crowds in places like Bankok, Phuket and other tourist destinations. The smaller towns and provinces witnesses more traditional style of celebration of the event. The event is also celebrated in few other parts of Southeast Asia.

If you want to witness and enjoy the festive mood of Sonkran festival, you got to be in Chiang Mai. The place is hoarded with huge crowds with the people mostly seen around the old city moat. People use the moat to fill their buckets and water pistols to splash each other with water. Note that you got to arrive in advance to get accommodation within the old city area, as the place is visited by large number of tourists from all around the world to celebrate this unique festival.