Songkran 2017.
From April 13 to 15 Songkran 2017 is celebrated as a national holiday in Thailand. In some areas such as Chiang Mai is celebrated for a whole week. Songkran as the local version is also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
Songkran 2017 is Thai New Year, a Buddhist festival and most important public holiday in Thailand. It marks the end of a dry season. April is Thailand,s hottest month. Thais visit their local temple to pray and to wash their Buddha icons. Buddhists pour fragrant water over Buddha statues at the temple and at home.
Buddhist festival
Thais perform the Rod Nam Dum Hua ritual on the first day of Songkran 2017, which is officially the National Elderly Day. During the ritual, young people would pour fragrant water into the elder’s palms as a gesture of humility ad to ask for their blessings. The second day is the National Family Day.
The throwing of water is the Songkran 2017 festival,s highlight. Children and adults with water guns roam the streets. People sit back on pick-up trucks which are loaded with buckets of water and throw it to pedestrians.
The real meaning behind the splashes is to symbolically wash off all misfortunes in the past year, thus welcoming the new year with a fresh start. White talcs also thrown so the city,s streets looks like the snow covered the city.
Soaked tourists
Tourists are special targets during the festival and young Thais will make extra effort to pour ice cold water down the back of your shirt. Friendly water fights and street parties last almost the whole week. During Songkran 2017 most office buildings, banks and shops are closed. Bangkok experiences a mass exodus. At least half of its residents travel back to their home towns. Many tourists fly to Bangkok particularly to enjoy Songkran. Songkran 2017 is a great party in Bangkok.
