{"id":3192,"date":"2017-04-10T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/?p=3192"},"modified":"2017-04-05T17:42:37","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T17:42:37","slug":"all-about-songkran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/thai\/all-about-songkran\/","title":{"rendered":"All About Songkran"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s that time again, as Thais all around the country gear up for the most important holiday.\u00a0Songkran<\/b> (\u0e2a\u0e07\u0e01\u0e23\u0e32\u0e19\u0e15\u0e4c s\u01d2ng graan<\/em>) is a 3-day festival taking place from April 13-15 that rings in the traditional Thai New Year. There are quite a few customs associated with the holiday, including the epic water fights that take place on the last day. Let’s take a closer look at this special time as we learn all about Songkran.<\/span><\/p>\n

An Introduction to Songkran<\/h2>\n
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Party time!<\/p><\/div>\n

Songkran is a national holiday, with banks, offices, schools and shops closing all across the country. Bangkok nearly empties as people return to their hometown to be with family. On the first day,\u00a0young people all over the country will visit their elders to pay their respects and ask for blessings in the New Year.\u00a0In this ritual known as Rot Nam Dam Hua<\/strong><\/em> (\u0e23\u0e14\u0e19\u0e49\u0e33\u0e14\u0e33\u0e2b\u0e31\u0e27 r\u00f3t n\u00e1m dam h\u01d4a<\/em>), the young people will also pour fragrant water into the palms of their elders. In some towns and cities, you can also see a parade on the first day of the festivities.<\/p>\n

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Bathing the Buddha<\/p><\/div>\n

The next day, most people will pay a visit to their local temple to make merit by giving alms to the monks. There will also be a bathing the Buddha ceremony, or song nam pra<\/strong><\/em> (\u0e2a\u0e23\u0e07\u0e19\u0e49\u0e33\u0e1e\u0e23\u0e30 s\u01d2ng n\u00e1m pr\u00e1<\/em>) in Thai. This can be done both at a temple and at home \u2013 basically wherever there is a Buddha image. The second day of the New Year is also National Family Day in Thailand. Similar to Christmas in the West and Spring Festival in China, Songkran is a time for family reunions.<\/p>\n

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A huge water fight!<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s not much to set the third day apart from the first two (temple visits, making merit, gathering with family members), so let\u2019s talk about the most famous aspect of Songkran \u2013 the epic water fights. Having visited elders and washed the Buddha, the last day is time for fun. People line the streets with buckets, hoses, and squirt guns \u2013 anything that can be used to soak passersby. Aside from the obvious relief water provides from the intense heat of April in Thailand, this is also symbolic of washing away any misfortunes from the past year.<\/p>\n