Imagine the chaotic scene of a street in Thailand during the Thai New Year Festival, with local people roaming around with buckets of water and water guns, drenching everyone they meet and letting out big laughs and shrieks of joy.
Songkran is the Thai New Year (April 13-16th) and traditionally it is a time when the Thai people would visit and pay respects to their elders, such as family members and monks. As well as the fun water-fights in the streets, the festival also includes visiting Buddhist temples to pray and donate food to monks. The locals will cleanse all the Buddha sculptures in the temples and monasteries with water and fragrance, as this is thought to give them good luck.
The throwing of water at other people is thought to be a great sign of blessing and respect and it represents the washing away of past misfortunes to start the New Year off with a clean slate. It is also quite refreshing as April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand.
Visiting Thailand during Songkran is a lot of fun because you will get a chance to learn about Thai culture as well as join in the exciting and wet festivities.
Where to Celebrate Songkran
If you want to find the biggest Songkran party, book flights Bangkok and celebrate in this mega metropolis. For the major party scene, head to Kao San Road which is the backpacker district and is sure to have energetic celebrations that never stop. If you want to celebrate in a more traditional way you can head to the Phra Pradaeng district where you will find Thai-Raman communities enjoying the festival. Here you will find flag ceremonies, boat races, floral parades and much more. Remember to leave your phone and camera and anything else not waterproof back at the hotel, because you will get soaked!
You could also book a flight Phuket and enjoy Songkran on the beaches of this gorgeous paradise island. The best area for the festival is Patong, where watergun battles will continue until late in the night. Locals, tourists, young children and pretty much everyone will join in the fun.
Booking Your Trip
If you are planning to enjoy this year’s Songkran in Thailand, it’s not too late to book your trip. Planning your visit with your travel agent Hong Kong has a number of advantages, as they will be able to use their insider knowledge and expertise to plan the perfect trip for you.
If you book with Flight Centre travel agent Hong Kong, be sure to take advantage of the ‘Lowest Airfare Guarantee.’ This means that if you find flights Phuket or flights Bangkok cheaper anywhere else, your Flight Centre agent will beat the price of the cheap flight by $10 and offer you a $100 gift voucher. This means that you can enjoy the festivities of the Thai New Year, while knowing you got a great price.
