Thai New Year – Songkran – is Thailand’s biggest celebration. Every year, Songkran takes place over a three-day national holiday, with festivities lasting several days in some cities. Songkran’s defining feature is ‘water play’. In Thai Buddhist tradition, water poured over the hands is part of a cleansing ritual – for Songkran, this solemn blessing is transformed into boisterous, fun-filled water fights. Super-soakers and buckets increase the intensity, with iced water often used for fuel and dousings followed by a blast of chalk powder.