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Happy New Year Thailand [travel]

[Songkran Holiday: April 13 to 15]


The Songkran festival is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. It coincides with the New Year of many calendars of South Asia as well as throughout the Southeast Asian countries.


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Some of you may be familiar with the word, "Songkran.(สงกรานต์)" It is the national level holiday (statutory holiday), in which almost everyone will be participating in splashing water one and another. To illustrate, the mass of people rallying around the central Bangkok, holding some wet powders or water guns to play with, walking some miles until they meet dead end.

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Decades ago, when Thailand's GDP was very low, Songkran holiday was still at peace. People did not use water guns to play around. It was just a national holiday for showing respect to elders, especially within family. Children knee down in front of elders then pray for their longer live and health. Then, children pour handful of water on their parent's shoulders gently.

After this, people will gather around local temples. Likewise they did at home, children as well as their parents now do the same thing for Buddhists' monks. Similar to the past feudal societies around the nations, Thai monks are considered to be the highest class in Thai social hierarchy.

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The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed (13 to 15 of April). If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off are taken on the weekdays toward the following. According to legends, Songkran falls into the hottest time of the year in Thailand. Until 1888, the Thai New Year was started during what is now April today.

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@Thai Buddhism

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Twitter: @Thai_Buddhism


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