Songkran the New Year Water festival
The most celebrated festival in Thailand is the Songkran festival.
This is the beginning of a new solar year and it is the traditional Thai New Year. It starts every year on April 13th and lasts for 3 days. However depending on which part of Thailand you are visiting the festival can go on for as long as 7 days.
The main reason for the festival is Thai people believe that the water will wash away any bad luck. For that reason back in the villages throughout Thailand you will find that Buddha images are bathed as part of a ceremony, and families gather and pay their respects to their elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grand parents, and by presenting them with gifts. The elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.
Usually most people who originate from the rural areas, and who work in the major cities like Bangkok, return home to spend this time with their families. Because of this you will find that this is probably the only time throughout the whole year, you can travel quite freely around Bangkok.
Below you will see some pictures from the Songkran 2009 water festival. Each photo has a brief description of what it’s about, and in addition to this if you click on each individual picture you will be able to view the full size image of that photo. Throughout this page you will also see various links. These will take you to even more Songran photos, as described in each link.
This photo was taken of four young Thai people trying to avoid getting wet while driving their motorbike. As if the umbrella would help them, No Way!
This picture was taken of a Thai girl with what can only be described as a massive water pistol. She looks absolutely soaking wet through. If you come to Pattaya at Songkran you can expect to get like this.
Here’s another Thai girl having fun with yet another massive water pistol, would you like to be in the back of that taxi? If you were you would no doubt be as wet as her.
This photo was taken of some young Thais who were waiting to through buckets of water at passers by or even people riding by on their bikes.
Watch Out!
This is what a typical road looks like during Songran, don’t think you’ll be getting anywhere fast with this traffic. This is the main road between Pattaya and Jomtien.
Here’s another one, you get quite a lot of people in fancy dress, after all this is one major party.
Fun, Fun, Fun that’s what this water festival is always about.
Pattaya is one of the places that the festival lasts the longest. It usually starts off fairy quietly on the 13th and by the time you get to the 18th and 19th April all hell breaks loose.