Songkran – National Holiday
13 April @ 00:00 - 15 April @ 23:30
The Songkran festival is the traditional Thai New Year’s Day and is celebrated from April 13th to April 15th.
The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit language and means the passage of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another. That means there are twelve Songkrans’ each year, but the significance of this Songkran (sometimes called Major Songkran to distinguish it from the others) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram. The particular event was also closely related to the Vernal Equinox.
The most famous aspect of the Songkran celebrations is the throwing of water. The custom originates from spring cleaning aspect of Songkran. Part of the ritual was the cleaning of images of Buddha. Using the ‘blessed’ water that cleaned the images to soak other people is seen as a way of paying respect and bring good fortune.
Most banks and government offices will be closed for the duration of the festival. Many currency exchange booths will remain open.