Songkran

At the top of the most famous festivals in Thailand is Songkran. Songkran is Thailand’s most well-known competition. A critical occasion in the Buddhist calendar, this water competition marks the start of the conventional Thai New Year. The call Songkran comes from a Sanskrit phrase that means ‘passing’ or ‘approaching’. It is a party that embraces goodwill, love, compassion. and thankfulness, the use of water because of the approach of expression.

The phrase Songkran derives from Sanskrit that means to transport or step forward. The first day of takes place during the solar movement from Pisces into Aries, which marks the New Year's Day consistent with the Brahmin sun system.

The Songkran competition falls on the 13th, 14th, and 15th of April each year. The first day is referred to as Maha Songkran or the grand Songkran. The Thai authorities have declared Songkran competition as prolonged public vacations to allow the human beings to go back to their place of origin for their own circle of relatives reunions, merit-making and reuniting with others of their community. The thirteenth of April is likewise declared the Day of the Senior or Elderly via means of the authorities. The event marks the appreciation for the senior populace for his or her years of contribution to the own circle of relatives and country.

To have a good time Songkran, there are numerous sports during Thailand which range in keeping with local tradition. Some of the sports include:

• Cleaning of homes and public places as temples, schools, workplaces to welcome the New Year with cleanliness and sparkling start.
• Merit making with the aid of imparting alms to clergymen in determination to the overdue ancestors, going to the temples to pay attention to Buddhist preaching.
• Releasing birds and fish returned to their herbal habitat is a not unusual place exercise all through Songkran. This act of giving freedom is a shape of benefit making.
• Sprinkling water onto Buddha photographs and clergymen is an auspicious act to obtain advantages for the New Year.
• Building sand pagodas on temple ground. Bringing sand into the temple's premise is taken into consideration as a benefit due to the fact the sand may be used or reused for production or recovery of the temple.
• Pouring water onto the aged participants of the family and/or the society to expose recognize and gratefulness and to ask for their blessing.
• Folk performances and conventional video games are organised for entertainment in addition to to keep the Songkran tradition.
• Throwing water at every other in a pleasant way with the aid of using the usage of easy or scented water, replacing New Year's greetings all through water play, and in case of doubt, ask permission earlier than throwing water at a person due to the fact she or he might not want to get wet.

What NOT to do during Songkran? As water throwing has turn out to be famous for the duration of Songkran, it's miles encouraged that the subsequent exercise is avoided:

• The use of grimy water, ice, combination of risky gadgets which includes paint, dye and plant seeds, etc. may also cause accidents to different people's eyes or different elements in their body.
• Throwing water at folks who are driving on transferring cars which includes motorcycles, motors etc.
  may also cause severe injuries.
• Using changed devices like PVC pump tubes which produce excessive water strain may lead to severe accidents to others. Lewd acts which includes making use of powder paste on others' face, mainly females, irrelevant bodily contacts and touching are unacceptable.
• Too much alcohol consumption, mainly in public locations, cause annoyance and unrests. Moderate ingesting with pals and households in one's very own privateness is preferred.
• Driving after ingesting also causes deadly street injuries each year.

Location: All over the country

Time: 13th, 14th, and 15th of April each year