Songkran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Songkran is a Buddhist festival held in Thailand every year that celebrates the traditional Thai New Year. It’s held in the middle of April, often the hottest month of the year, and lasts for three days. The event began when people sprinkled water on their elders’ hands for good luck and blessings in the New Year. In Thai culture, sprinkling water is a symbol for washing away bad luck. But then the sprinkling turned into water fights. Now, Thais spend Songkran in city streets pouring buckets of water on friends and squirting each other with water guns. During this time, they also visit Buddhist temples and pour water over statues of Buddha to show their devotion. They call this “bathing the Buddha.” They hope that pouring water over the statues will also earn them blessings.