Songkran Festival

Every year on the 13th in April, an important festive season called Songkran or Splashing Water Festival ignites in many places throughout the world.

The Ritual Cleansing Songkran is a cultural tradition and New Year celebrated in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Xishuangbanna in Yunnan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, a few places in northeast India and Vietnam. Celebrations carry out throughout the country on streets, beaches and islands.

In Malaysia and Singapore, people gather and celebrate Songkran in several Siamese, Myanmese and Sri Lankan temples. But also, a big crowd of Malaysian and Singaporean flow to Thailand, especially Hat Yai to join the event.

“Songkran” derives from Sanskrit word, literally means transformation or change. Traditionally, Songkran celebration usually begins with visiting local temples and offering food to Buddhist monks as kind of merit-making. In addition, many people perform Bathing Buddha statue to purify and wash away of one’s sins and bad luck. Then, followed by the real splashing funs on the streets and alleys.

Streets are filled with fun goers, weaponized with water guns, buckets, water hoses and even cannons, trucks loaded with ice-cold water, unleashing water along the way upon each other. In addition to water fights, there will be daily prayers, dance performances for the deity and food stalls with variety of Street Foods to serve the crowds. Some streets closed down for street activities, including Water Fights, Dance performance, Miss-Songkran Contest and Parades.

People from remote county such as Isan and Chiang Rai like to return hometown to see their families or their loved ones, being reverenced to the elders and ancestors is also an important part of Songkran traditions.

• According to the Buddhist scripture in Wat Pho, Songkran originated from the death of Kapila Brahma
• In Bangkok, Khao San Road and Silom Road are the hubs for modern celebration of Songkran
• Alley 5, 6 & 7 and the surrounding area in between Beach Road and Pattaya Sai Song Road is the prime location celebrating Songkran in Pattaya.
• In Chiang Mai, the moat along the outer of the wall surrounded the ancient city, becomes the main source of water supply for the Water Splashing Festival in Chiang Mai Ancient City. Undoubtedly is one of the most popular destinations in Thailand for both locals and foreigners.
• In Phuket, the festival is a day-and-night event, starts in the old town in the morning, then beaches in Patong, Kata and Karon, full scale street thrills in Bangla Road until mid-night is the craziest in southern Thailand
• The biggest city in southern Thailand, Hat Yai is one of the cities nearest to Malaysia and Singapore, also popular hotspot for Songkran Festival Celebration every year featuring Mid-night Water-Splashing or Mid-night Songkran, starts from New Year eve at Nipat Uthit 3 Road and Saneha Nusorn Road around Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel & Odean Shopping Mall area. Hatyai City Municipal Park and Khlong Hae Floating Market also the popular hotspots for Splashing Water celebration.
• In Yunnan, Splashing  Water Festival was listed as State-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006. It is one of the most important festivals for ethnic group mostly living in Xishuangbanna (Jinghong), especially the Dai ethnic. But also in Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture.
• In Australia, celebrations is at the Wat Pa Buddharangsee Buddhist Temple and the Mahamakut Buddhist Foundation in the suburbs of Sydney. In Melbourne, the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) New Year festival is held annually in Dandenong and Victoria. There are cultural events, parades and live music performances to keep everyone, include Asian origin residents fully entertained
• In the USA, celebrations occur in cities home to large Asian populations, especially origin of Sri Lankan, Thai, Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian
• Places where home to large populations of Cambodians, Laotians and Thais celebrate Songkran every year throughout the world, such as Singapore and Malaysia