The Songkran festival is the traditional Thai New Year's Day and is celebrated from 13 April to 15 April.
The word Songkran was actually derived from “Sankranti”, which means “to move or to change”. Celebrated on particular dates in 13 April – 15 April, Songkran 2016 is regarded as the longest holiday in Thailand. Unlike other festivals in the place, Songkran is said to be the grandest since it is traditionally celebrated for three consecutive days.
Similar to other nationalities, Thais also have beliefs which truly originated from their forefathers. A day before the celebration of Songkran, the housewives must clean their house and remove all the rubbish. Otherwise, it might bring them bad luck for the remaining months of the recent year. As part of the belief, Buddha images should be washed carefully so as to bring good fortune to house owners.
Thailand's Songkran Festival is by far the most important event of the year for the Thai people. It's a time of fun and a special time for new year ritual and respect for water
People in this region always clean their house when approaching the Songkran Festival. Everyone dressed up in colorful clothes. After people present food to the monks they will offer a Requiem to the ancestors who have passed away. People also has the other merit such as pagoda which is intended to give sand to temple for construction or repair. Other forms of merits is releasing bird and fish. Nowadays, people also release other kinds of animal , for example, buffalo and cow.