“2008 Songkran Splendours” (13 locations)
1. Bangkok Songkran Festival Date: 12 – 15 April 2008
Venue: at 9 royal temples and around Rattanakosin Island
Hi-Light:
* Songkran Celebration of the 4 Regions   more...(southern section of Sanam Luang near Wat Phra Kaeo)
Bathing of Buddha images from the 4 regions, local food and dessert making demonstrations, and cultural shows from various regions.
Open Ceremony on 12th April 2008 18.00-21.00 hrs. at Wat Arun (Wat Chaeng)
* Paying worship at 9 royal temples around Rattanakosin Island. On 12-15 April 2008 09.00-18.00 hrs. : Wat Phra Sri Rattanasasadaram (Wat Phra Kaeo), Wat Chetaphon (Wat Pho), Wat Suthat, Wat Saket, Wat Bowonniwet, Wat Chanasongkram , Wat Rakung, Wat Arun (Wat Chaeng), and Wat Kalayanamitr. Participants will receive a Passport of the 9 temples at each public relations point of each temple. After receiving the stamp from all the temples, a coupon for a lucky prize will be given.
* Fun-filled splashing in traditional Thai dress, Khao San Road with various forms of Songkran fun, on 12-15 April 2008 at 07.00-18.00 hrs.
* Banglamphu community at Santi Chaiprakarn Park, Phra Athit Road and Wisut Kasat., on 12-13 April 2008
Further Information : Events Planning Division, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Tel. 02 250 5500 ext. 3470. TAT Call Center 1672 website : www.songkran.net  less

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1. Bangkok Songkran Festival
Date: 12 – 15 April 2008
Venue: at 9 royal temples and around Rattanakosin Island
Hi-Light:
* Songkran Celebration of the 4 Regions (southern section of Sanam Luang near Wat   more...Phra Kaeo)
Bathing of Buddha images from the 4 regions, local food and dessert making demonstrations, and cultural shows from various regions.
Open Ceremony on 12th April 2008 18.00-21.00 hrs. at Wat Arun (Wat Chaeng)
* Paying worship at 9 royal temples around Rattanakosin Island. On 12-15 April 2008 09.00-18.00 hrs. : Wat Phra Sri Rattanasasadaram (Wat Phra Kaeo), Wat Chetaphon (Wat Pho), Wat Suthat, Wat Saket, Wat Bowonniwet, Wat Chanasongkram , Wat Rakung, Wat Arun (Wat Chaeng), and Wat Kalayanamitr. Participants will receive a Passport of the 9 temples at each public relations point of each temple. After receiving the stamp from all the temples, a coupon for a lucky prize will be given.
* Fun-filled splashing in traditional Thai dress, Khao San Road with various forms of Songkran fun, on 12-15 April 2008 at 07.00-18.00 hrs.
* Banglamphu community at Santi Chaiprakarn Park, Phra Athit Road and Wisut Kasat., on 12-13 April 2008
Further Information : Events Planning Division, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Tel. 02 250 5500 ext. 3470. TAT Call Center 1672 website : www.songkran.net
2. Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Songkran Festival
Date: 13 – 14 April 2008
Venue: Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Historical Park, Wihan Phramongkhon Bophit, and around the island city, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya
Activities : Making merit to the monks, releasing of birds and fish, paying homage to the elderly.
Hi-Light: on 13 April 2008
06.00 hrs. : Making merit to the monks at the front of Wihan Phramongkhon Bophit
14.00 hrs. : the grand procession of the Songkran tradition, enjoying splashing water with elephants at the old city.
Further Information : Education Division, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Municipality. Tel. 0 3525 2168. TAT Central Region Office : Region 6 (Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya), Tel. 0 3524 6076-7, 0 3532 2730-1
3. Chonburi Province
(3.1) Pattaya Songkran Festival (Wan Lai Fair)
Date: 18 – 19 April 2008
Venue: Pho Na Kleua Public Park, Chon Buri
Activities : Procession of the Buddha image for the people to bathe, along the Pattaya beach, local games, various arts and cultural performances, piling rice tradition, paying homage to the elderly, Miss Songkran Beauty Contest and enjoy splashing water along the beach of Pattaya.
Hi-Light: on 19 April 2008 at 08.00 hrs. : Procession of the Buddha image for the people to bathe and enjoying splashing water along the Pattaya beach.
Further Information : Pattaya City, Tel. 0 3837 1116-9, TAT Central Region Office : Region 3 (Chonburi), Tel. 0 3842 7667, 0 3842 8750
(3.2) Bangsaen Wan Lai Tradition
Date: 16 – 17 April 2008
Venue: Bangsaen Beach, Meuang District, Chon Buri
Activities : Giving alms to monks, paying homage to the elderly, local games competitions, sand Chedi building, and enjoying splashing water along the clean and white Bangsaen Beach.
Hi-Light: on 16 April 2008 : Sand Chedi building contest
Further Information : Saen Suk Municipality. Tel. 0 3838 5353-5, TAT Central Region Office : Region 3 (Chonburi), Tel. 0 3842 7667, 0 3842 8750
(3.3) Si Racha Songkran Festival and Piling Rice Ceremony
Date: 19 – 21 April 2008

Venue: Ko Loi Public Park, Si Racha District, Chon Buri

Activities : See a piling rice ceremony, a procession of bathing the Buddha image, procession and decoration of the piling rice vehicles, Thai arts and cultural show, demonstrations of various local sports and games, sand Chedi building contest, as well as splashing of water.

Hi-Light: A Procession and decoration of the piling rice vehicles.
Further Information : Si Racha Municipality. Tel. 0 3878 7947, TAT Central Region Office : Region 3 (Chonburi), Tel. 0 3842 7667, 0 3842 8750
(3.4) Ko Si Chang Songkran Festival
Date: 13 – 19 April 2008

Venue: Ko Si  less

Songkran or as it is now known as the Thai New Year started in Lanna around 700 hundred years ago. Then the Lanna Kingdom comprised of North and Northeast Thailand, parts of Laos, Burma and southern Yunnan   more...Province China. Songkran today is still celebrated in these areas except Burma where it has been banned by the military government there.
Songkran was not celebrated in the rest of Thailand until around the 1950’s. In Bangkok then most of the workers, as today, came from the north or northeast part of Thailand. When Songkran came around, April 13 – 15, most of the workers just left work and went to their villages for the New Year. For this reason the government and most businesses had to shut down for Songkran. For this reason this is now an official holiday in Thailand.
The meaning of water during Songkran is very important. Pouring water on each other and Buddha statues is to wash away the past and a cleansing for the future year. This started as just pouring water on the hands or on the shoulder of others with a small cup of water. This has now grown into the largest water fight on the planet.
Here is a short streaming video of the festival over a two day period. The first day, April 13, is the Songkran parade, which takes place on Muangchareon and Thapae roads at 2 PM and lasts around 3 hours. We then hit the streets to join the water fight mostly concentrated along the moat in the city center.  less

The Buddha image parade on 13 April 2007 Chiangmai Thailand.

Song Kran day or Thailand New Year 2007 April 13.
In Chaignmai have the Buddha image parade on Tha Pae road every year.

The Songkran Festival is by far the largest water fight on the planet. This was taken in Chiang Mai Thailand and happens every year April 13-15. You have to see this to believe it.

One of the best places to experience Songkran is in Khao San Road,Bangkok,Thailand,where it is celebrated on a grand scale with a flavour uniquely and entirely its own,attacting visitors from far and   more...wide.This year,Songkran Thai New Year festivities scheduled fro April 12-15,will be held at Khao San Road,in the vicinity of the city's gates and around the city moat.One of the highlights of the festival is the "Songkran Khao San Road Beauty Queen Procession" that takes place on Songkran Day itself-April 13.It is here that the visitor gets to see various aspects of Khao San Road,first hand,-its culture,cuisine,arts, and crafts as well as the friendly  less

Deriving from the Sansakrit language, the word "Songkran" means to pass or to move into. In this context, the meaning implies to the passing and the moving of the sun, the moon and the other   more...planets into one of the zodiacal orbit. And the Grand Songkran Festival which falls on the Aries indicates the new era of the Thai New Year. Owing to the ancient Indian belief, the Grand Songkran Festival is most appropriate to be the Thai New Year due to the timing of the best season which is known as the spring of India which comes right after the cold season of winter. Also, there are other aspects supporting this belief such as the blooming flowers, the fresh atmosphere of the nature and the livelihood of all the living creatures.


With the great influence from the Indians, the Songkran Festival portrays the typical ways of life of the Thais which involve the agricultural aspects. Free from their regular routine work, the Thai citizens will find time to perform their annual rites of showing respect to their ancestors. The highlight of the festival will include the younger Thais paying respect to their elders by sprinkling their hands with scented water. And in order to welcome the New Year, the celebration will include the delighted colourful local entertainment which, in fact, suitably unite the mutual relationship between members of the family, the society, the nature and surrounding. Therefore, this Songkran Festival has proved to be the most important and grandest festival of the year. Moreover, our neighbouring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have also organised this type of festival.


Since the old days during the Sukhothai period, the Songkran Festival had been practised both in the royal court palace and among the ordinary citizens. However, the size of the celebration had not been as elaborated as of today. Back in those days, civil servants and other government officials would pay homage to the king, and would drink the oath of allegiance to the king or the government, while the king would provide annual salary to all officials. Later on in Ayutthaya period, the festival had been expanded by including  less

Here in North Thailand the Loi Krathong Festival is much different than anywhere in the Kingdom. In the small town of Mae Jo north of Chiang Mai they started the festival on Saturday night by launching   more...hot air balloons called "Khom Loy". I went with my wife and friends and took this short video. We are not talking about a few Khom Loy but thousands upon thousands all at the same time. You got to see this  less

LOI KRATHONG – FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS & Illuminated Boats
As the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (usually in mid-November) lights up the night sky, throughout the Thai kingdom, hundreds of thousands   more...of ornately-decorated krathong or traditional banana leaf floats are set adrift in rivers and waterways in a spell-binding ritual called "Loi Krathong" - the 'festival of lights". This is one of the Kingdom's oldest and best-preserved traditions.

The Loi Krathong tradition we know of today has evolved from the royal rituals of the early Rattanakosin period in which several types of lanterns were set afloat in the Chao Phraya River and its waterways.

The Royal Rattanakosin Loi Krathong Festival
During the early Rattanakosin period, the royal rituals of Jong Priang, Lote Choot, Loi Khome Long Nam, performed during the twelfth lunar month were based on Brahmin beliefs. These were the court versions of Loi Krathong performed as an act of worship in which the Devaraja or ‘God Kings’ made offerings of light to the Brahmin deities. Lit lanterns were hoisted on to poles for two weeks during the twelfth lunar month and then floated on the waterways as ritual offerings. From its Brahmin roots, the practice has evolved over time and has come to be part of a Buddhist ritual performed as an act of deep reverence and worship of the sacred relics and holy footprints of Lord Buddha.

The practice was subsequently adopted and adapted by common folk. Krathong floats are made from basic materials easily found around the village and reflect the simplicity of life beyond the palace walls. They typically take the shape of lotus in full bloom, swans, chedis (stupas), and Mount Meru from Buddhist mythology. However krathong floats in the shape of lotus blossoms are most popular.

At dusk, as the full moon begins to rise, the krathong is decorated with fresh flowers and the candles and incense sticks are placed in the krathong. The float is then taken to a waterway where the candle and incense sticks are lit and the krathong set adrift. The floats are carried downstream by the gentle current, candlelight flickering in the wind.

Soon after, attention turns to celebration. The evening's festivities consist of impressive firework displays, folk entertainment, stage dramas, song and dance. Scenes as described in ancient Thai literary accounts are still very much in existence today.

Krathong floats in the shape of lotus blossoms are most popular and are made from materials easily found in each locality. Loi Krathong customs and traditions reflect local beliefs and cultural evolution and interesting regional variations can be seen.

Loi Krathong Sai on the Ping River
Night of A Thousand Floating Lanterns
In Tak province, the banana-leaf floats are replaced by coconut shells which are threaded together and launched simultaneously so they appear as long chains of hundreds of glittering lights on the Ping River, hence the origin of its name, "Loi Krathong Sai".

****Yi-Peng Festival in Northern Thailand
In the Northern Thai provinces that were once part of the ancient Lanna Thai kingdom, the Yi-peng Northern Lantern Festival is still being celebrated. Tubular lanterns, resembling hot air balloons, are lit and released into the night sky as an offering the Lord Buddha. As hundreds of illuminated lanterns drift into infinity, this conjures the same sense of wistful closure as the krathong float downstream.

The lighting of fireworks is undertaken in the same spirit as when lighting candles in an act of worship so fireworks displays are very much an integral element of the secular and religious rituals performed.

*The Origins of Loi Krathong
There are various accounts about the origins of Loi Krathong. However given the river-based culture that forms the foundation of the traditional Thai way of life, it is widely believed that these are offerings made to Mae Khongkha - Mother of Waters in an act of appeasement. Many also beli  less

Songkran Feativel in Thailand,Ubonratchathani

Songkran Festivel in Ubonratchathani.

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snow festival

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If u wanna know how Songkran heal Nick, come to join them at Silom Rd. Bangkok.

Gates will be open each day from 10 am to 5 pm ~Admission is Free~
Live Music featuring Country, Bluegrass, & Gospel beginning each Day at 11 am
Antique Engine Display
Serro Scotty Enthusiasts Ramp Rally
  more...Ramp Wine and Ramp Cheese Tasting
Fresh Mountain Picked Ramps will be for sale
Door Prizes - Full Spring Tonic Menu & much more!  less

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