The traditional Thai New Year is called Songkaran. It occurs in the hottest period of the year which happens to be at the end of the dry season. Songkran was earlier calculated based on the solar calendar; hence the date varied each year. But now it has been fixed on 13^th April to 16^th April of every year.

The Songkran festival is considered to be a new life. During this festival people devote themselves into the act of merit making. It simply means doing good deeds to earn the blessings of God and your elderly. Many people give alms to the monks, visit their elders to pay respect or do charity work for the needy. Songkran is also a time for households to give their homes a thorough cleaning. The cleansing act has sentimental values and also correlates to washing away the sins and dirt of last years and welcoming the new year with purity. The cleansing act extends into a very vibrant and funfilled celebration, which over the years has become symbolic with Songkran.

This is the water splashing event. Traditionally People would pour a bowl of water on each other to mimic the act of cleansing the impurities of our soul and our deeds. This ritual also helped people beat the heat. Hence the ritual has transformed to a more jovial event where people splash buckets full of water on each other and passersby, water guns and garden hose are also used to maximize the fun.  All in all it’s a very friendly and lively atmosphere where family, friends and neighbours come together and spend quality time with each other. Several people visit temples to pour scented holy water on Lord Buddha’s statues and pray for blessings and a good new year.

So let us too celebrate this auspicious time. Let’s wash off our sins and earn our blessings. JTTJ team wishes you all the HAPPIEST SONGKRAN DAY!!!