Songkran Festival 2014

Thailand Songkran 2014 Songkran Festival 2014 - it seems that there is no better place to celebrate “Songkran Festival” than Thailand in which many unique festivities and rituals have celebrated the significance of water in Thai Culture and society. Songkran Festival or Songkran Water Festival Thailand will charm and delight all old and new visitors to Thailand.

What is Songkran Festival

Songkran is highly considered to be the most magical festival of all festivals in Thailand. As it creates the important bonds of unity between families and communities that bring the Thai people together. Songkran Festival is not just only about throwing water at each other but the festival is all about the traditions of Thai’s hospitality, love and relationship in Thai families. This is a time where children who have been away from home for their work return back home to visit their families and to bask in the love of parents and elder relatives.

The word “Songkran” comes from Sanskrit meaning transformation or changing of the zodiac signs. And a time is to coincide with the rising of Aries on the astrology chart. The auspicious Songkran festival is a time when people cool off in the mid summer heat, show great respect to family elders and receive their blessings you in return. And also is a time to pray for loved ones who passed away and cannot be present in the festival.

Songkran Festival in Thailand

Thailand boasts many hundreds of years of rich history and traditions. Much of culture of Thailand Kingdom comes from the ethnic Thai people whom represent more than two thirds of the kingdom’s nearly 70 million citizens. Each ethnic Thai group can be divided into several sub groups that differ slightly in their tradition, language and culture while being united together by the Buddhist principles that the majority of Thais share.

In many ways, it is this combination of cultures and diverse ethnic Thai groups and other minorities, including Raman (Burmese-Thai), Vietnamese, Khmer, Chinese and various hill-tribes that give Thailand its strong sense of cultural identity and national. This is because certain traditions have been practiced for centuries and being held in common including Songkran. Another Songkran tradition is when sand is brought into the grounds of temples and used to create sand pagodas as a way of making merit in Thai’s belief that Buddhists accidentally take earth from temples during the year. Away on the soles of their feet or even shoes when they have been paid their respects. So the sand is returned at the Thai New Year in the form of these mini pagodas.

The local temples are central to the Songkran festivities. It is traditional for everyone celebrating Songkran to make at least one visit there or to a blessed area to pay respects and purify to Buddha statues. At the temples, merit will be made and water will be poured onto the hands of family elders (people above 60 years old) to show respect and seek their New Year blessings. Water throwing associated so often with Songkran that normally enjoyed by young people and children though people of all ages tend to join the fun at some point. This year, the date of the Maha Songkran or the ‘New Year’ is set for on 14 April when day and night are of equal length. This will be followed by Nao Day (Middle day) on 15 April and the New Year itself will be on 16 April.

Songkran 2014 Dates

Songkran 2014 celebrations in Thailand will be last from 5-20 April which depending on the local culture and traditions in different areas of Thailand. For example of Songkran Celebrations in Thailand pleaseclick on the event’s name for more details: Thailand-Laos Friendship Songkran at Nong Khai Province on 6-18 April. Sukhothai Songkran Festival 2014 at Sukhothai Province on 7-19 April. Songkran Prapeni Pi Mai Mueang Chiang Mai at Chiang Mai Province on 11-16 April. Songkran, Sand Pagoda Ceremony and Lai Day in Chon Buri Province on 11-19 April. Chang Wonder Water Land @ UD TOWN Songkran at Udon Thani Province on 12-16 April. Pleasant Songkran, Thai-Lao New Year at Nakhon Phanom Province on 12-15 April. Songkran Splendours at Suphan Buri Province on 12-14 April. Songkran ‘Nang Dan’ Parade at Nakhon Sri Thammarat Province on 12-14 April. Songkran 2014 in Nan and Uttaradit Province on 12-16 April. Joyous Songkran Splendours in Bangkok on 13-15 April. Songkran 2014 in Sangkhlaburi at Kanchanaburi Province on 13-18 April. Songkran in the Ancient Capital City at Ayutthaya Province on 13-15 April. Songkran 2014 in Phra Pradaeng at Samut Prakan Province on 18-20 April. Top tips to get the most out of Songkran Festival in Thailand:

In the morning, make merit and listen to temple sermons to understand and benefit from

the spiritual side of the festival. Please remember that during the New Year Festival, the activities at temple are the most important aspects of the celebration.

Avoid pouring the water directly onto the head of the relic, rather on other parts of the

statue’s torso to purify the Buddha or other statues, Thai custom of pouring water onto the hand of elders is to show your respect and seek their New Year blessings.

Water used to splash on others should be clean or mixed with Thai traditional fragrances.

Please avoid throwing water aggressively or using high pressure water guns or hoses.

Women should be wary of wearing tight clothes or ones that are light in colour and/or made of thin fabric of cloth. When get wet such garments can become quite revealing, raising the risk of sexual harassment for woman.

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