April 13 is the traditional Thai New Year's Day, which is celebrated by the Thai people throughout the country from the old to the young and from the royalty to the ordinary people. Apart from water splashing, which is the best-known symbol of the Songkran Festival, Thai people also celebrate the festival with many other joyous activities. It is indeed the country's merriest festival.
Although this festival covers one week or more in some rural areas, the highlight of the festival is between April 13 and 15. Renowned as the most fun-filled festival, Songkran is thus a great time for foreign tourists in Thailand to enjoy the water fights and experience distinctive cultural activities in a delightful atmosphere.
How the Thais Celebrate Songkran
In Thailand, this festival is generally celebrated for three days from 13 to 15 April. Before the celebrations, people will clean their houses in the hope of casting away any bad luck of the old year, so that good fortune will slip into their new lives instead. Food and sweets will be prepared in advance for merit making and for entertaining guests.
In some northern rural areas, explosive sounds and loud noises will be made to chase the ghosts away. Candles will be lit and piles of wood will be burned in front of the houses on New Year's Eve to shine the way for the spirits, which old people believe will come out of their places on that night.
The Songkran celebrations will begin with food presentation to the monks who will walk along the streets in the early morning to receive food and other offerings. But some people will bring food to the temples nearby for the monks. And after that they may free birds or fish as a way of merit making too.