The Songkran festival is the traditional Thai New Year's Day and is celebrated from 13 April to 15 April.
The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit language and means the passage of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another. That means there are twelve Songkrans each year, but the significance of the this Songkran (sometimes called Major Songkran to distinguish it from the others) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram. The particular event was also closely related to the Vernal Equinox.
Celebrating New Year at the time of the Vernal Equinox was very common in the past. The Songkran celebration is similar to those of the Indian Holi Festival, the Chinese Ching Ming, and the Christian Festival of Easter. Indeed April Fool's Day probably originated as mocking those who didn't accept the switch of New Year from April to January in France in the Sixteenth Century.
In ancient times, the dates of Songkran and the Vernal Equinox would have been closer, but they have shifted due to an effect called procession, where the Earth wobbles on it's axis over a 25,000 year period.
The date was originally set by astrological calculations, but it is now fixed on 13 April. The festival may be extended if some of the celebrations fall over a weekend.
In Thailand, New Year is now officially celebrated on January 1, in line with almost all other countries. Songkran was the official New Year until 1888, when it was switched to a fixed date of 1 April. It wasn't until 1940, that this date was then shifted to 1 January.
Officially known as Songkran, the water festival is about cleaning, purification, and fresh starts. Houses are cleaned, Buddha statues are gently washed with scented water, and elders are honored by pouring water respectfully over their hands.
Although the origins of Songkran are far more religious, splashing complete strangers with water has become the main attraction of the festival. Dousing or sprinkling people with water signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, and brings them good luck in the new year.
As a procession and formalities end, a throng forms in the street to dance, party, and throw water in good-natured fun. To up the ante, many Thais add ice to their water or travel in teams that wear masks and carry large water cannons. You probably won't mind the drenching; afternoon temperatures in April regularly rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Songkran festival is the traditional Thai New Year's Day and is celebrated from 13 April to 15 April.
The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit language and means the passage of the sun from one sign of the Zodiac to another. That means there are twelve Songkrans each year, but the significance of the this Songkran (sometimes called Major Songkran to distinguish it from the others) is when the sun enters the sign of Aries the Ram. The particular event was also closely related to the Vernal Equinox.
Celebrating New Year at the time of the Vernal Equinox was very common in the past. The Songkran celebration is similar to those of the Indian Holi Festival, the Chinese Ching Ming, and the Christian Festival of Easter. Indeed April Fool's Day probably originated as mocking those who didn't accept the switch of New Year from April to January in France in the Sixteenth Century.
In ancient times, the dates of Songkran and the Vernal Equinox would have been closer, but they have shifted due to an effect called procession, where the Earth wobbles on it's axis over a 25,000 year period.
The date was originally set by astrological calculations, but it is now fixed on 13 April. The festival may be extended if some of the celebrations fall over a weekend.
In Thailand, New Year is now officially celebrated on January 1, in line with almost all other countries. Songkran was the official New Year until 1888, when it was switched to a fixed date of 1 April. It wasn't until 1940, that this date was then shifted to 1 January.
Officially known as Songkran, the water festival is about cleaning, purification, and fresh starts. Houses are cleaned, Buddha statues are gently washed with scented water, and elders are honored by pouring water respectfully over their hands.
Although the origins of Songkran are far more religious, splashing complete strangers with water has become the main attraction of the festival. Dousing or sprinkling people with water signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, and brings them good luck in the new year.
As a procession and formalities end, a throng forms in the street to dance, party, and throw water in good-natured fun. To up the ante, many Thais add ice to their water or travel in teams that wear masks and carry large water cannons. You probably won't mind the drenching; afternoon temperatures in April regularly rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
