Songkran Festival 2022: Complete Guide With Date & Offers
The Songkran festival is celebrated from April 13 to April 15 in Thailand. It is a traditional Thai New Year's Day.
The word Songkran is a Sanskrit word. It means the passage of the sun from one zodiac sign to another. When the sun enters the sign of Aries The Ram is called Major Songkran and this day is celebrated by the Thai with excitement. This event is also nearly relevant to the Vernal Equinox. In the past, it was very common to celebrate New Year at the time of the Vernal Equinox.
The Songkran celebration is identical to those of the Chinese Ching Ming, the Indian Holi Festival, and the Christian Festival of Easter.
The date of the Songkran festival was now fixed on April 13 but later on, the date was taken out by astrological calculations. If any of the festivals fall on the same date then the Songkran festival may be extended. The Songkran festival is celebrated as an official holiday in Thailand.
Songkran Festival Is Celebrated as Splash Of Colours
This festival is similar to the Holi festival celebrated in India. This festival is mainly recognized as "water festival Thailand". The motive of this festival is to throw water at one another. Throwing water also does not hurt anyone as April is the hottest part of the Year in Thailand so soaking in water is a reviving escape from the humidity.
This splash of water over each other originates from the rituals of cleaning Buddha images with water. Later on, this 'blessed ' water is used to soak other people as a way of bringing good fortune and paying respect.
Nowadays Thais celebrate them with full of enjoyment having water fights in the street with water guns. Also, people stand on the side of the roads to soak the other people passing through. People splash water buckets over one another.
Songkran festival is widely celebrated in the Northern part of Thailand. The Thai use of a combination of water and powder is almost similar to the celebrations of Holi. Songkran is a Spring Cleaning Day both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, people make New Year resolutions. But Physically people soak in water and throw out old and broken useless things from the house as it brings bad luck to them.
It's more informative and interesting to know that at the same time of the year in many distant places people celebrate this day full of excitement and thrill. In Poland, on Easter Monday Dyngus Day is celebrated.
Most government offices and banks remain closed for this festival.
The 3 Days of Songkran
The first day of Songkran follows the custom that involves pouring scented water onto a sacred Buddha image in the temple. This activity is known as Song Nam Phra. The water ( traditionally scented with a perfume called Nam Ob) is poured onto the torso and body. It should be noted that it is not poured onto the head of the image. On this auspicious day, people clean their houses and public places like schools, shops and temples to get rid of bad luck.
The second day can be said as a blessing day. On this day people pay respect to their elders and in return elders give them blessings, typically along with a Jasmine floral garland. Many young people prepare scented water with rose and jasmine to wash their parent's feet. This ceremony is called Rot Nam Dam Hua. This day is also known as Wan Nao as people prepare food and offerings to be given to temples and monks. Many of them make sand stupas recalled as Chedi Sai as a fun family way to offer spiritually.
On the third and last day of the Songkran festival, people visit local temples to offer clothes and food to the monks. This day is known as Wan Palawan. People also take part in other rituals so that it brings good luck for them.
This festival is celebrated with joy and full of colours. The festival has become very popular around the globe. The Songkran festival attracts tourists also. The feeling of happiness of this festival is shared among all Thais and visitors with the same love and respect.
Places To Visit At The Water Festival In Thailand
The main areas in Thailand are where you can enjoy the Songkran festival and party hard in 2022.
- Bangkok
As it is the capital city of Thailand. It is a fantastic spot to enjoy the water festival. Songkran is a festival where families together celebrate. Half of the occupants leave the place for their hometown. People take leave from their offices. Khao San Road and Silom Road are the prominent places to party. Khao San Road completely turns the road into a water battleground and you are about to enjoy it totally as there you go entirely wet from top to bottom. In Silom Road, you will notice countless people holding water guns to sprinkle water over each other. During the festival, the whole street is closed for vehicles.
- Phuket
During the celebration of the festival, Patong Beach is the most uproarious place. The Songkran festival you experience in Phuket is at the global level. You will enjoy the extreme here as you can go to the best pubs and restaurants, and enjoy the nightlife to the fullest. There is also a Miss Songkran beauty parade.
- Chiang Mai
Visiting the water festival Songkran in Chiang Mai in the mid of April can give you full enjoyment. People of all ages enjoy this festival here. People have their water guns and buckets in every corner of the street which they throw over each other. In the old city, there is a place called Tha Pae Gate where people experience 4 kilometres of water fighting beside the great moat. Parties are also organised more delightfully and visitors and local people get thrilled with this experience.
- Pattaya
Only the Pattaya city where you can continue full week i.e up to April 19. Soi 6,7,8 are the popular spots for celebrating this big day. Many bars have water drums where you can load your water pistols and buckets to fill up the water.
This festival turns adults and old people into kids again. So plan a trip to Thailand to visit this Songkran festival and boom with the bundles of enjoyment.
Why do people throw water during Songkran?
People sprinkle water on Buddha's images and monks to get their blessing for New Year. They throw water in their house and shops to get rid of bad luck. They also released fish and birds to their natural habitat.
Are shops open on Songkran?
During Songkran small stalls and shops are most likely closed. Most banks, office buildings and government offices are shut down. If you want to purchase during this festival you can go to malls and big shopping centres.
Is it free to attend Songkran?
It's free to attend this festival. You don't need to buy tickets because Songkran is celebrated in open and public places.
What do you wear during Songkran?
Usually, you can wear what you want but as it is a wet festival wearing light fabric will make you feel comfortable. If you wear jeans or heavy dresses then there will be a chance of getting waterlogged. You can choose to wear swimwear under your apparel or you can just go for shorts and T-shirts.
How can you celebrate Songkran if you are travelling solo?
It's better to travel with friends or a group if you are coming for Songkran. If you are coming solo during this festival, then it's better to stay in hostels as many Chiang Mai and Bangkok hostels will organise for this festival so that travellers can experience Songkran.
Is Songkran 2022 cancelled?
This festival will be cancelled again if the Covid-19 is not under control.
How do you prepare for Songkran?
- Two outfits if you are in Chiang Mai one for daytime and one for nighttime.
- Water Gun for playing and having fun in the water fight.
- Waterproof necklace for money and camera to keep your money and camera safe and dry as it is a water festival you will get wet from top to bottom.
- Toilet Paper, It's important to carry money to purchase toilet paper.
- A Great Attitude.
What is the most popular food in Thailand during Songkran?
Tom Yum Goong
Made with stock, lemongrass, shrimp, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, lime juice, crushed chilli peppers, this soup is the most popular Thai dish among tourists. During Songkran, you can even try some traditional dishes like Khao Chae, Mango sticky rice, Prawn Pad Thai, Pad Kee Mao Talay.
How do you congratulate someone on Songkran?
- May this year bring joy, fun, health, and success to you.
- May the showers of water wash away all the bad luck from you.
- May this upcoming year be more fortunate for you.
- Happy Songkran Festival!
After knowing so much about the Songkran festival you were excited to visit Thailand and indulge in the colors of joy. So before going to any place we plan for where to buy clothes and how to book a trip right. So you don't have to move from your place with just one click and you can book your trip at affordable prices.
Here are some of the sites
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It is such a supermarket where you can buy all food items, snacks, fresh meals, baked goods, and nutritious food for both babies and adults. So for your convenience, if you have a short period to pack your goodies, it's the best place to purchase online. To get more benefits by buying products, apply the ส่วนลด Tops Online.
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Happy travelling and Happy Shopping!